A major housing plan in Malmesbury has been sent back to the drawing board.

Final planning permission for a large new site at Filands was refused by Wiltshire Councils Northern Area Planning Committee earlier this month.

Bloor Homes bought the site after outline planning permission had been given to build 71 houses in May 2020. Since then, Bloor has also gained planning permission for the adjoining site, which now has permission to build 70 houses and a children’s nursery.

Although Malmesbury Town Council and Wiltshire Council wanted Bloor to design a single plan for the two sites it instead submitted a plan for 70 houses on the original site.

After the application was called in by Malmesbury's representative on Wiltshire Council, Gavin Grant, members of the committee unanimously agreed that the design of the houses and the lay out, broadly in two parallel rows of detached and semi-detached houses, was not good enough.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Gavin GrantGavin Grant

Referring to the committee's response Cllr Grant said: "They were as unhappy as I was about how inferior the detailed plans put forward by Bloor were.

"They were also concerned that if this application was passed it would send a green light to the developers of many other sites where permission has been given against the wishes of local residents to meet Wiltshire Council’s small housing shortfall and that standards could be lowered.

"Following this decision, we would like to ask Bloor Homes to accept the invitation to work with Wiltshire Council and Malmesbury Town Council to produce a high-quality development for both sites.

Campbell Ritchie, who led the Malmesbury Town Council’s response to the application, said: "Both sites were approved for development only because Wiltshire Council cannot show it will be building enough new houses in the next five years. 

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Campbell RitchieCampbell Ritchie

"This was despite neither site being part of the Neighbourhood Plan and all of Malmesbury’s planned housing requirements already being met. 

"We were therefore very disappointed when the detailed application was much worse than expected following the original permission and well below the quality that could be achieved if both sites were designed together."

Mayor of Malmesbury Kim Power added: "We hope this sends out the message to developers that we will challenge any proposal which we do not believe to be of a high enough standard for our residents."