“Will of the community prevails” as major Warminster housing plans knocked back

A controversial planning application for 205 homes has been refused after community backlash. 

The Planning Inspectorate has dismissed an appeal by Barratt Homes and refused their application for a development on land to the west of Westbury Road. 

Town councillors had maintained a strong opposition to the planning application due to concerns over flood risk, sewage management, public safety, and the character of the town potentially being distorted.  

The decision by the Planning Inspectorate marks a “fantastic outcome” for the town, said Cllr Phil Keeble. 

He said, “Warminster Town Council were vehemently against this proposal from the start and this decision by the Planning Inspector is a fantastic outcome, not just for the residents of Westbury Road but for the whole town as the impacts of going forward with this development would have stretched far wider. 

“My congratulations to everyone involved in research and speaking at the various committees and public enquiry and it was pleasing to note in the Inspector’s report that these inputs did carry weight, dispelling the myth that the views of town and parish councils and the local community do not count.  

“It demonstrates that the will of the community can prevail if we all work and stand together.” 

The Planning Inspector had concluded that building on the Westbury Road site posed an unacceptable flood risk, and that the developer had not demonstrated that there were no other suitable sites with a lower risk of flooding. 

The need to mitigate the impact of increased nutrients from the development on the River Wyle was also a key consideration. 

Barratt Homes’ proposed solution – nutrient mitigation ponds – raised concerns for the inspector, particularly in relation to flood risk and the reliability of the mitigation measures. 

The inspector noted that Wiltshire Council could only demonstrate a 2.03-year housing land supply, and that it is significantly below the required five years.  

The lack of a 5-year housing land supply gave more weight to the benefits of the development in the planning balance. However, in this case, the inspector decided that the harm from flood risk significantly outweighed those benefits. 

Cllr Keeble added, “It [the decision by the Planning Inspectorate] also emphasises the need for all Warminster residents to get behind our draft Neighbourhood Plan comprising Housing Site Allocation which will give legal protections against developers’ speculative proposals such as this one, not just on any named sites but for the whole of Warminster.” 

Pictured: Cllr Phil Keeble on Westbury Road