Melksham MP backs warehouse proposal to save local jobs
Healthcare firm Gompels want to expand with a new warehouse and office space
The MP for Melksham has thrown his support behind plans for a local business to expand, saying it would be devastating for the town to lose jobs.
Health firm Gompels wants to build a new warehouse and office space, saying it would need to relocate to the midlands if plans aren't approved. The proposals have seen some local backlash with concerns over the building, which spans 2450,000 sq ft.
Locals living just meters from the proposed site say the 57 feet tall building would leave their homes dominated by shadow and the homes closest to
The proposals have been approved by Wiltshire's Strategic Planning Committee and will now be ruled on by the Secretary of State in the coming weeks.
Gompels began trading in Melksham in 1967 and has grown from a small pharmacy to it's current location on Bowerhill Industrial Estate, outgrowing four warehouses in the process.
Dr Brian Mathew, MP for Melksham, said he understood local concerns but insists it's vital to secure jobs for people working in the town.
"To lose those jobs would have been devastating for the town," he said. "And as the member of Parliament, I've got to, I've got to take that into account.
"There are obviously some concerns from people that live close to the site. I've visited their homes and I've seen the area. But sometimes in politics you've got to you've got to look at the greater good."
He told us the planned site isn't the best solution: "I first proposed, before I was elected, that we look at actually expanding the existing industrial area into nearby farmland.
That's a complicated thing. I think everyone agrees that would be the ideal place for new industry to go but it's going to take a lot more time to happen."
Dr Mathew has spoken to Gompels about mitigation and has been given assurances that the building will be camouflaged and that trees will be planted to shield the visual impact.
If the Secretary of State approves the plans, a public consultation would be held during the submission of full planning to Wiltshire Council.