AN APPEAL has been lodged against Wiltshire Council’s decision to reject the construction seven new houses close to the centre of Oaksey.

The application on The Street, Oaksey, was initially rejected by Wiltshire Council for a number of reasons including drainage issues with a nearby pond and a breeding population of great crested newts which was recorded in 2012.

As well as this the application was opposed by both the parish council and the Campaign to Protect Rural England as the plans for houses are only partially within Oaksey’s residential boundary.

Oaksey Parish Council’s chairman Richard Moody said that the village would welcome a refurbishment of the village’s pond but was concerned about the impact of the new houses on the village.

He said: “In my view the two main reasons are the residential boundary and the colony of great crested newts. The fact that the government's rules on small new developments have changed just recently is also relevant.

“I would say that the village is still very interested in what happens to this site and in particular the condition of the pond and its residents.”

The applicant, Mr James Woodhouse, is insisting that his plans will add to the village, are widely welcomed by residents and are the only hope for the great crested newts that inhabit the rapidly declining pond.

He said: “I understand the council’s objection to be based on the fact that the majority of the site is located outside the Oaksey development line and that the parish council would rather allocate development in Oaksey via a plan led.

“In response, I would reinforce the fact that the development line is out of date and that there are no windfall sites left in the village to develop.”

He explained that he was a fifth generation Oaksey resident, that he planned to move into one of the houses he has proposed and that his application had been held up due to the slow pace of Oaksey’s neighbourhood plan.

He added that without the development he would not be able to secure the money needed to restore the pond, which could be as much as £50,000.

He concluded: “If the application is not approved then some other form of productive use of the land will need to be secured which is likely to be less favourable to the future sustainability of great crested newts.”