The Strategic Planning Committee of Wiltshire Council met on 23 September 2025, to discuss planning appeals, updates, and applications. The committee approved an outline planning application for land west of Marlborough Road in Royal Wootton Bassett, but refused an application for land south of Snarlton Farm in Melksham. A decision on an outline application for land at Maxcroft Farm, Hilperton was deferred.

Land at Maxcroft Farm, Marsh Road, Hilperton, Trowbridge

The committee discussed an outline application for the demolition of existing farm buildings and the erection of up to 180 residential dwellings with associated infrastructure at Maxcroft Farm in Hilperton. Councillor Ernie Clark, Independent Group Leader for Hilperton, called the application in for committee determination, objecting to the proposal because the site is outside the defined settlement boundary and is not currently allocated for housing in the emerging Wiltshire Local Plan or the made Hilperton Neighbourhood Plan.

The planning officer reported that the site is located entirely outside the settlement limits of Hilperton and is therefore in the open countryside. The site is located within the yellow zone associated with the Trowbridge and Westbury Bat Mitigation Strategy, which represents a medium risk for habitat loss, with the western part of the site located within a core roost buffer zone associated with greater horseshoe bats. The site is located on land classified as Grade 3b, which is not considered 'best and most versatile agricultural land' under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Hilperton Parish Council objected to the application on the grounds that:

• The site is outside the Hilperton Settlement Boundary.
• The application is premature, as the site is not allocated in the draft Wiltshire Council Local Plan.
• The site has a serious flood risk.
• The increase in traffic would be unacceptable.
• The site is too far away from schools and the railway station.
• The applicant has failed to satisfy the requirements of the Trowbridge Bat Mitigation Strategy.

The Council's landscape officer also objected, stating that the scale of the development and its impact on the open nature of the site and the character of the countryside has not fundamentally altered .

The committee deferred making a decision on the application.

Land West of Marlborough Road, Royal Wootton Bassett

The committee approved an outline planning application for the demolition and clearance of existing buildings and structures and the development of up to 95 dwellings, with associated car parking, open space, landscaping, drainage and other associated infrastructure on land west of Marlborough Road in Royal Wootton Bassett.

The planning officer reported that the proposed development was located outside the defined settlement boundary and within an area designated as open countryside, which conflicts with several policies of the Wiltshire Core Strategy. However, as a result of recent changes to the way housing need was calculated, the Council was unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable sites and as a consequence, the presumption in favour of sustainable development was engaged for the assessment of this application. In addition, as the Royal Wotton Bassett Neighbourhood Development Plan was made in 2018, it was over 5 years old, furthermore it did not include any housing allocations, and therefore the protections referenced in paragraph 14 of the NPPF did not apply.

The committee resolved to grant planning permission, subject to a legal agreement to deliver the following:

• 40% on-site affordable housing provision
• A financial contribution towards Royal Wooton Bassett to Swindon Cycle Route or any alternative active travel schemes
• Travel Plan travel vouchers encouraging sustainable travel
• A financial contribution towards early years and secondary school places
• A financial contribution towards waste collection facilities
• A financial contribution towards the restoration of Wilts and Berks Canal
• A financial contribution towards arts
• A management company to ensure that the area of public open space and other shared areas are managed and looked after in perpetuity
• A s106 monitoring fee

The planning permission was also subject to a number of conditions, including:

• The development shall be begun either before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission, or before the expiration of two years from the date of approval of the last of the reserved matters to be approved, whichever is the later.
• A detailed housing mix strategy, including the number and size of dwelling units shall be submitted with each reserved matters application to provide details of the proposed dwellings and based on demonstrable need.
• No development shall commence on site until a detailed drainage strategy for the site, incorporating sustainable drainage details, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
• No development shall commence on site until a Construction Management Plan, together with a site plan, has been submitted to and by the Local Planning Authority.
• No development shall commence on site until a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Land South of Snarlton Farm, Snarlton Lane, Melksham

The committee discussed an application for outline planning permission for the erection of up to 300 dwellings, land for local community use, open space and dedicated play space and service infrastructure at land south of Snarlton Farm in Melksham.

The planning officer reported that the application site was not incorporated into the draft Local Plan, any revised settlement boundary for Melksham and the site was not included in either the made and recently published Melksham Neighbourhood Development plan 2. There was a need to weigh up the benefits and harm in line with the National Planning and Policy Framework (NPPF) as the council was unable to demonstrate a five-year Housing Land Supply (HLS).

The committee received legal advice in relation to paragraphs 11 (d) and 14 of the NPPF which indicated that Paragraph 14 stated 'likely' therefore it was not mandatory, if the tilted balance was engaged and where the two criteria (a) and (b) of Paragraph 14 were met, whether the proposal was contrary to the Neighbourhood Plan and warranted refusal of the application, this would be a planning judgement.

Councillor Nick Holder, attending as Local Member, spoke in objection to the application in his capacity as the unitary division member. The main points referred to included the scale of the development, the visual impact of the development and the site being located outside the defined settlement boundary for Melksham.

The committee resolved to refuse the application for the following reasons:

1. The development as proposed, would materially conflict with the Council's strategic core policies CP1, CP2 and CP15 of the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy, as well as significantly and demonstrably conflicting with the Joint Melksham Neighbourhood Plan 2, which allocates other land for housing and that the benefits of the development would not outweigh the aforesaid Plan conflicts and that the application is hereby refused in full compliance with the National Planning Policy Framework paragraph 14.
2. The application fails to provide and/or secure adequate provision for the necessary on-site and, where appropriate, off-site infrastructure to make the application proposal acceptable in planning terms. The application is therefore contrary to policy CP3 of the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy, and the National Planning Policy Framework, with regard to the central social and environmental sustainable development objectives enshrined within paragraph 8.

Planning Appeals

The committee received an update on planning appeals. Since the last meeting, appeals had been received for:

• Land off Sherston Road, Malmesbury
• Land West of Lyneham Substation, West of Dauntsey Lock, Wiltshire
• Land at Lopcombe Corner, Salisbury, Wiltshire

Since the last meeting, appeals had been decided for:

• Land South of Salisbury Road, nr Homington, Coombe Bissett, Salisbury