Date set for appeal over ‘buffer zone’ houses
A date has been set for an appeal hearing into whether new homes between Swindon and a Wiltshire village can be built.
Greatworth Property Managers Ltd, which wants to build 56 homes at Lydiard Millicent, appealed to the Planning Inspectorate after Wiltshire Council threw the plans out.
The scheme, submitted for land off Meadow Springs, was turned down in December due to its conflict with the adopted local development plan, environmental concerns, and strong opposition from the parish council, the local MP, and residents.
The proposed development site forms part of a green buffer zone between the village and urban Swindon.
Cllr Steve Bucknell, who was the ward councillor prior to the May 2025 local elections, raised concerns about the scale of the development, the visual impact upon the surrounding area, the relationship to adjoining properties, and the environmental and highways impact.
He said that should council officers be minded to grant the application, he would ‘call in’ the application to be debated by the relevant council planning committee.
Cllr Andrew Matthews, who was elected as the current ward councillor in May 2025, also backed the ‘call-in’ request.
MP Sarah Gibson objects to the proposal, raising concerns on behalf of residents about its alignment with the Lydiard Millicent Neighbourhood Plan, the potential loss of the designated ‘local gap’ between the village and Swindon, and the risks of speculative and unsustainable development.
The application site, covering 2.5 hectares of greenfield land southeast of Meadow Springs, was identified in the neighbourhood plan as part of a protected area intended to maintain separation from Swindon.
Lydiard Millicent Parish Council formally objects to the plans, highlighting the site’s classification as a ‘small village’ under the Wiltshire Core Strategy, lack of compliance with key policies, loss of rural character, insufficient active travel infrastructure, risks of increased flooding, and reliance on private vehicles.
The parish council has supplied pictures of the area under deep water.
The applicant, meanwhile, has submitted a flood risk assessment and drainage strategy, and council drainage officers have concluded the development would not increase flood risk elsewhere if properly mitigated.
However, planning officers concluded that these measures did not outweigh broader planning and policy objections.
The council’s planning report stated that the development would “conflict with (parts of the) Lydiard Millicent Neighbourhood Plan, which should be given substantial weight in the planning balance.”
Council officers also cited the loss of rural character, harm to the landscape, and increased pressure on local infrastructure as additional grounds for refusal.
The application attracted 130 objections from members of the public and formal opposition from Lydiard Millicent Parish Council.
Concerns raised included inadequate transport links, the unsustainable scale of development, insufficient infrastructure, and the risk of further encroachment toward Swindon.
Hungerford-based Greatworth Property Managers Ltd says the development should be permitted because Wiltshire Council cannot hit its five-year housing land supply target.
The appeal will be held at Wiltshire Council’s offices at Monkton Park, Chippenham on Tuesday, October 13.