THIS week, many residents and councillors in Malmesbury welcomed the news that house builders Gleeson had made the decision to withdraw its appeal over the prospective Filands development.

It has been hailed as the first real test and subsequently victory, for Malmesbury’s new Neighbourhood Plan, the objectives of which were rightly upheld in Wiltshire Council’s decision to refuse the development when it was submitted last year.

Neighbourhood Plans across the country are cornerstone documents and provide a crucial link between local residents and their ability to shape the future of their towns and villages.

It would have been wholly disrespectful to the opinion of all Malmesbury residents who voted for the adoption of the document a few years ago had Wiltshire Council decided to allow the development.

It is right for all Malmesbury residents to celebrate that their sovereignty has been applied in this case.