Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Outline application permitted.
The decision was made by the planning officers at WWDC, as Hilperton parish Council had no objection.

The permission is subject to a legal agreement to secure 30% affordable housing, a contribution towards education needs, the laying out and contribution to the future maintenance of an area of public open space within the site, provision of integrated cycleway and footpath leading into the existing network, provision of traffic calming measures within the development and locality, a contribution to the provision of public transport initiatives in the area, and a contribution to the provision of public art within the development.

The original application to build 30 houses on this site (see earlier posts on this website) was refused for three reasons: the distribution of social housing, the access arrangements, and the positioning of the cycle track.

The appeal was dismissed by the inspector in one of the most damning reports that I have ever seen. Whilst accepting the principle of development she disagreed with two reasons for refusal. However, she agreed that there should be a greater distribution of the social houses and that the design of them should be indistinguishable from the market units. Also, she commented that the layout of the market housing merely reflected a ‘more of the same’ approach and that design aspirations have moved on since the original Paxcroft Mead was approved.

This means that when Gallaghers submit their full plan they are going to have to reflect the inspector's comments which went on to state: "The appeal layout proposes a dreary range of standard and uniform house types, designed for 'nowhere in particular' to achieve the largest 3 and 4 bedroom detached houses on the site and to push the affordable housing onto the smallest possible area."

It will be interesting to see what Gallagher come up with.