Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

When does Persimmon have to have the road open by?

Having published the planning conditions for the road, I have received several requests asking 'When will it be built?'

There is no 'actual' date set down anywhere but the construction of the road is tied to other Persimmon developments in the area.

The best guidance I can give is to say that Persimmon is legally tied to provide the road to serve both the approved residential development (reference 04/02105/OUTES - which was finally granted permission in October 2011) and its employment site off West Ashton Road.

The legal agreement stipulates that public access to the completed Hilperton Relief Road must be provided prior to the occupation of more than 225 of the 650 permitted dwellings and 50% of the gross floor area of any buildings permitted at the employment site. If no development commences on the employment site, the trigger is 450 dwellings.

As a 'backstop', the agreement provides that the road will, in any case, be completed and open for use by the public before the fourth anniversary of the residential occupation of the first dwelling.

The agreement has the same clauses for the East Trowbridge Distributor Road (the extension of Leapgate to join West Ashton Road).