Controversial housing development given go-ahead

Details have been approved for a planned housing development in a Wiltshire town.

The application proposed the construction of 190 homes on land at Empress Way in Ludgershall, adjacent to another development by the same applicant, Foreman Homes.

First approved in 2022, opposition to the development saw the council receive 60 letters of objection, expressing fears of overdevelopment and traffic issues.

Wiltshire Council has given the project the go-ahead, provided several conditions are met.

Although the plans were approved, the section 106 legal agreement between the developer and Wiltshire Council was not fulfilled, which means the council had to review the application in light of the recent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.

The developers had further requested to drop a second access to the site, from the list of conditions provided by the council, but this was deemed "inappropriate" for "such a large development" by the council's highway officer, Councillor Robert Yuill.

The committee accepted the plans, so long as the second access was completed prior to the occupation of the 160th dwelling.

Adjustments, made by the developer in the interim, such as the relocation of a Skylark and Lapwing mitigation scheme and a play area, were also considered in a review by the council's strategic planning committee.

The development is expected to begin construction early next year.

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