The Southern Area Planning Committee of Wiltshire Council met on Thursday 16 July 2026 to consider several planning applications. The committee determined the fate of a proposed development on land adjacent to Kiln Close, Whaddon, and reviewed planning appeals and updates.

Planning Appeals and Updates

The committee received details of completed and pending appeals. Officers clarified that applications for lit advertising hubs in the city had been refused because they did not align with the Council's advertising and signage policy guidance.

Application Number: PL/2025/07978 - Land adjacent to Kiln Close, Whaddon, SP5 3HE

This application sought planning permission for the excavation of a former railway embankment and the erection of three new self-build dwellings, along with associated landscaping and works. The proposal had a complex planning history, with previous applications for similar developments on the site having been refused and appeals dismissed.

Key Considerations:

• Principle of Development: The site is located within the settlement boundary of Alderbury, designated as a Large Village, where there is a presumption in favour of sustainable development according to Wiltshire Core Strategy (WCS) policies CP1, CP2, and CP23. The proposal was also seen to contribute to the Council's housing land supply shortfall and deliver self-build units, addressing an identified need.
• Planning History: Previous applications for four dwellings (PL/2023/11012 and PL/2025/03217) were refused by officers, with one appeal dismissed due to ecological harm and overdevelopment. A subsequent application for three self-build dwellings (PL/2024/05291) was refused by the committee, and its appeal was dismissed in September 2025, primarily because there was no legal mechanism to secure the dwellings as self-build. The current application was a resubmission of PL/2024/05291, with amendments to the plot sizes and layout due to landownership matters.
• Self-Build: The proposal was for three self-build units, which is seen as a way to diversify the housing market. To secure this, a Unilateral Undertaking was completed by the applicant.
• Contribution to Public Amenity and Character: Concerns were raised by Alderbury Parish Council and local residents regarding the loss of the former railway embankment's vegetation, which had provided a buffer and contributed to the area's verdant character. While officers acknowledged the loss was regrettable, they noted that a recent appeal decision (APP/Y3940/W/25/3361131) concerning a similar application had concluded that the embankment in its current cleared state was not a meaningful component of the verdant character of the area worthy of being preserved. Therefore, the removal of the embankment was not considered harmful to the character and appearance of the area.
• Design: The proposed dwellings were of a chalet bungalow style, designed to limit ridge heights and avoid uniformity. Amendments to the layout of Plot 3 were made to address landownership issues, and the design was considered to reflect the local vernacular with sufficient room for landscaping.
• Amenity Impacts: Concerns were raised about potential land contamination from the embankment's removal and its impact on neighbouring residents. The Council's Public Protection Team advised that these risks could be mitigated through conditions. While there were potential oblique views from first-floor windows, conditions such as obscure glazing for WC/bathroom windows and the removal of permitted development rights were proposed to mitigate overlooking.
• Archaeology: The Council's Archaeologist raised no concerns, stating that the embankment had some historic interest but that previous applications had not raised archaeological issues.
• Drainage: The Council's Drainage Team had no objection, subject to a condition requiring a surface water drainage strategy to be submitted before works commence.
• Parking/Highway Safety: The Highways Officer raised no objection, subject to a condition requiring parking spaces to be completed before occupation. Concerns about the narrowness of Kiln Close and potential traffic issues were noted, and a condition for a Construction Management Plan was considered appropriate.
• Ecological Impact: The site is within consultation zones for the River Avon SAC, New Forest Protected Sites, and Solent Protected Sites. The Council's Ecologist noted that the site likely supported reptiles and bats, and a mitigation strategy could be secured by condition. The proposal was exempt from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements due to being a self-build development on a site under 0.5 hectares. However, financial contributions were required to mitigate impacts on the River Avon SAC, River Test SAC, and New Forest SPA, to be secured via a legal agreement.
• Land Stability: Concerns were raised about the stability of the embankment, particularly on the northern boundary of Plot 3. A pre-commencement condition requiring details of land stability and slope stabilisation measures was recommended.
• Housing Land Supply: Wiltshire Council currently has a housing land supply of 2.8 years, meaning the presumption in favour of sustainable development applies. The three proposed dwellings would make a limited contribution to addressing this shortfall.

Recommendation:

The officers recommended that planning permission be granted, subject to a Legal Agreement to secure financial contributions for the River Avon SAC, River Test SAC, and New Forest SPA, the securing of the development as self-builds, and the imposition of specific planning conditions.

However, the report noted that an appeal had been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination of the application. Therefore, the Local Planning Authority no longer had the ability to issue a formal decision. Any resolution reached by the committee would be treated as the Council's position for the appeal process.

The meeting minutes from 20 August 2026 indicate that the application for Land adjacent to Kiln Close, Whaddon, SP5 3HE was not determined at the 16 July 2026 meeting due to the appeal against non-determination. The minutes of the 20 August 2026 meeting do not contain any discussion or decision regarding this specific application, suggesting it was not brought back to the committee.

Urgent Items

Under urgent items, Cllr Sven Hocking raised an issue with the online form for planning applications, specifically that the file reference in the Comments section lacked a clickable file tab. The Chairman was asked to relay this issue to the relevant officers for rectification.