Plans to redevelop a prominent High Street site next to St Lawrence Chapel have sparked debate in Warminster, with some residents calling for the land to remain as a green space, while others support proposals for a new shop and ten flats.
The plans were discussed at a recent Warminster Town Council Planning Advisory Committee meeting, where councillors raised no objections.
The discussion came amid calls from some local people for the site to be left as a green community space.
In a letter to the Warminster Journal, Maggy Daniell said, “The Georgian building next to St Lawrence Chapel was allowed to become derelict and then stood as an eyesore with scaffolding around it until everyone was glad it was demolished.
“I am in agreement with the many comments I’ve heard since, that it looks much better open and would be nice as a green space.
“The setting of the Chapel is also much enhanced. It would be a shame if we lost this new improved view of one of Warminster’s loveliest assets.”
However, committee chair Councillor Phil Keeble said at the meeting, “We’re very sympathetic to calls to make the site a community asset, but we do not own the site. It is in private ownership, and we can’t force the owner to make it an open space as perhaps many would like.
“The best way forward in that regard is to lobby the council and the councillors to purchase the site and make it into whatever we want it to be.
“However, to caveat that with, that comes at a cost because we have to buy a site and convert it, and that would need to be funded with taxpayer money.
“The calls to make it a community site are not reasons to reject it.”
Ian Frostick, chair of the Feoffees and Trustees at St Lawrence Chapel, spoke in support of the development at the meeting, but highlighted the need for sufficient soundproofing due to the proximity of the site to the chapel bells, which chime 432 times over a 24-hour period.
The committee voted unanimously to issue no objections to the application, but requested that the views of the Conservation Officer be formally included as conditions for the build, to ensure the flats have appropriate soundproofing.
The comments from Warminster Town Council are advisory only. Any decision on whether to grant planning permission will be made by Wiltshire Council.
