Sevenhampton

Roves Farm in Sevenhampton has had a very good week when it comes to planning.

Three separate applications for consent at the farm in the village between South Marston and Shrivenham have been approved.

The first was an application by Pedro Fernandes de Silva of WEL Solar Park, based in Gatwick, which runs the Roves Farm solar plant on the site. The company has been given permission to keep a storage container on the solar farm part of the site until 2044.

The rest of the farm is a working farm, but it also welcomes visitors to enjoy the countryside and the activities of an arable and dairy farmer, with activities for children and a maze.

Mr R Burr, the owner has been given consent to put up a new building to house livestock and also a new play barn for young visitors and a seating area for their families.

Lydiard Tregoze

Swindon Borough Council, which owns Lydiard House, has given itself permission to replace one of the windows in the listed building’s north west tower. The Palladian mansion, which dates back more than 500 years, with a frontage remodelled in the mid 18th century is now a hotel and visitor centre, with its park gardens one of Swindon’s most loved recreation spots for visitors and residents.

Cheney Manor

The power generated by a new solar farm at Barnfields, the former council landfill site will now be stored at the borough council’s waste treatment plant at Waterside park.

The energy requirements for the plant, which dries and minces unrecyclable waste, which would otherwise go into landfill and turns it into fuel for the cement-making industry, is supplied by the solar farm nearby.

Now the council has been given permission to install a huge battery at its depot, in order to be able to store the electricity generated on sunny days when the plants is not using much, so it can be used at times of higher need; reducing the plant’s call on the national grid.

Inglesham

A plan to build two houses in the extended linear garden of a family house on Lechlade Road has been turned down.

Keith Hillyard and Julie Murphy, who live in Rosedene in the village north of Highworth had wanted to build two detached family houses for their sons Jason and James, who both live nearby with their young families.

The plans also would have seen a triple garage for cars and a home office for the family driving school business.

The reason given by Euclid Street planners for refusal is the plans would be: “inappropriate and uncharacteristic infill development outside the settlement boundary” and would be “out of context, eroding the open spacious character” of the area and causing “harm to the character and appearance of the rural landscape.”

Highworth

The plan to build a detached family house, along with a garage, in the back garden of another house; Clovelly, in Eastrop, Highworth, has been approved.

The four bedroom in the house will be spread across the top two storeys of the building - with the master bedroom in what would otherwise be a loft space.

The plans also provide for a large L-shaped garage, and access with be from Eastrop just to the west of the Scout hut.

Bishopstone

Proposals to redevelop Starveall Farm , in Bishopstone west of Wanborough, including a new cattle barn, milking parlour and slurry lagoon have come closer now the applicant, Helen Browning’s flood and drainage plans have been signed off my planning officers