A DEVELOPER has failed in a bid to overturn a decision against its bid to build 2,800 homes in Swindon.

Plans for 2,600 homes at the site east of the A419 at Lotmead Farm and a further 200 homes nearby were submitted by Ainscough Strategic Land as part of the New Eastern Villages two years ago.

But Swindon Borough Council refused them on the grounds they failed to include sufficient basic infrastructure, such as schools and roads, and did not adequately address issues like noise, flooding and drainage.

Gary Sumner, the borough council’s cabinet member for strategic planning, said: “We are delighted with this decision as it wholly supports the local plan and our development strategy for well-managed housing growth.

“Development must be sustainable, linked to infrastructure and delivered in a comprehensive way to ensure that the right services are delivered at the right time to support the new community,” he said.

“This decision sends a clear message that piecemeal applications that are disconnected from the rest of the New Eastern Villages are not acceptable, as they undermine the comprehensive delivery of the mixed use development.”

In a statement the authority said although it strongly supported the principle of the development, the amended schemes put before the inspector for consideration at the inquiry failed to provide sustainable transport links, playing pitches and the required open space while ensuring that archaeology was protected, acknowledged and enhanced.

Lotmead Farm forms part of the 8,000-home New Eastern Villages development. When the two applications were announced residents in the areas close to the farm spoke of their concern that the right infrastructure should be in place before the homes were built.