Latest on homes plan that sparked congestion fears
175 new homes are being proposed just outside Devizes
Plans to build 175 houses on the edge of a Wiltshire market town, which sparked traffic congestion fears when they were first mooted, have been lodged with planners.
Gloucestershire housebuilder Robert Hitchins Ltd wants to build 175 homes on a site south of Coate Road, Devizes.
A third of the homes will be designated ‘affordable’.
The site consists of two fields, currently farmland, to the northeast of the town centre.
North of Coate Road, a new 200-house development has been given planning consent.
To the west of the site is Windsor Drive, which ends at a busy junction with the A361 London Road into Devizes.
A planning application submitted to Wiltshire Council this week seeks permission to demolish former agricultural buildings, and construct up to 175 new homes with new vehicular access to the site.
The developer proposes a junction on Windsor Drive to serve around 25 dwellings and a second junction on Coate Road to cater for around 150 dwellings.
A “sustainable development” with a mix of one- two- and three-bedroom properties is proposed. Play areas and green spaces would be included, along with two attenuation ponds to mitigate flood risk.
Plans also show a cycleway and pedestrian footpath looping around the estate and joining a byway, which “connects residents to the wider area.”
Public consultation took place between February 10 and March 3, which revealed concerns from residents and town councillors, who said the 175-house development – and a neighbouring development of 40 houses – would cause a bottleneck at the busy Windsor Drive junction.
Residents also called for more facilities including GP surgeries and employment sites to cater for the 400 extra households expected over the next few years.
Town councillor Richard Oliver said: “It’s going to be busy because London Road has the development coming at Parkfields, all these junctions are close together so the roads will need to be upgraded.
“We’re concerned about bottlenecks and Windsor Drive is quick so there are questions about the access.
“It’s about balance, I’m in support of development where the housing is balanced with improvements to the infrastructure.
“We want to see more employment and GP surgeries and that needs more housing and people, but the infrastructure must be there and the plans for how these needs are met have to make sense.”