House plans hit by town council rejection (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

House plans hit by town council rejection

A DEVELOPER'S hopes of building almost 60 new homes in Highworth have been hit after the town council recommended the plans be rejected.

Bristol-based McCarthy & Stone hopes to build 50 sheltered housing apartments for the elderly and eight affordable housing units at the site currently occupied by carpet manufacturers Threshhold Flooring, close to the Brewery Street junction and the Fox roundabout.

The carpet factory will be relocated in order to allow the development to go ahead.

Highworth Town Council's sub-planning committee has asked Swindon Borough Council's planning officers to reject the plans.

It believes the housing complex would increase traffic problems and feels the design of the flats is inappropriate for the surrounding area.

With the Co-op store having recently opened in Brewery Street, a further three new junctions would have to be introduced to an already busy street.

The council feels it would be a "recipe for chaos".

Planing committee member and Highworth mayor Ken Poulton said: "It's the entrance to Highworth from Swindon and there is one aspect of Highworth that is unique to all the villages around here.

"If you come to Highworth from Swindon it looks like a rural area and if you start putting buildings of that nature up you will find it looks like an urban area.

"The buildings they are going to put up are going to dwarf the other buildings.

"We feel that it's not in keeping with the area and there are road access problems. The Brewery Street junction is already very busy and the Fox roundabout is extremely dangerous."

Paul Davies, spokesman for McCarthy & Stone said: "This is a development for elderly people, most of who will have given up driving.

"There will be a limited number of parking spaces but our experience is that very little traffic is generated by this type of development which will be located close to shops and local amenities.

"The amount of traffic generated by 50 elderly people is going to be less than a carpet factory."

Further discussions are taking place with borough council planning officers over the building materials to be used, added Mr Davies.

A meeting between McCarthy & Stone and the town council is scheduled for November 11 when the nature of the designs will come under further scrutiny.