Plan for homes near M4 in Wiltshire 'fundamentally unacceptable'

An artist impression of the homes in Sutton Benger

Plans for a housing estate near the M4 have been refused after they were deemed "fundamentally unacceptable".

The homes were proposed on land off the High Street in Sutton Benger, Wiltshire.

In its proposal, Gladman Developments described the project as "sensitively designed and high quality".

Wiltshire Council's planning committee rejected the proposal due to its scale leading to an "imbalance within the community".

More than 100 objections were received from members of the public raising issues such as the lack of facilities in the area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Gladman Development's outline proposal to Wiltshire Council said: "The new homes will be set within a network of connected and accessible green spaces containing a new children's play area, land for the provision of allotments, wildflower meadows and recreational routes."

The site is located just below the M4

Sutton Benger Parish Council objected to the plans due to concerns over the scale of the project.

It said: "Sutton Benger has experienced a high level of growth between 2006 and 2022 - 130 new houses were completed in Sutton Benger, with a further 45 in development and four awaiting appeal.

"The application incorrectly states that the population of Sutton Benger is 1,000.

"The 2021 census sets the figure at 1271 and there has been further residential development in the village since that date."

'Fundamentally unacceptable'

Wiltshire Council concluded that the proposal was "fundamentally unacceptable as a matter of principle."

The case officer report stated: "The proposal fails to promote a sustainable pattern of development and amounts to new residential development in the open countryside that is not related to the essential need of agriculture, forestry or other rural based enterprise."

It also noted that the scale of the development would lead to "an imbalance within the community between the provision of homes and the available services, facilities and means of employment."

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