When Marlborough Town Council’s planning committee meets on Monday, January 12, it will discuss a new draft proposal for a housing development on the land off Rabley Wood View. This is not a formal planning application, but an informal approach to test the councillors’ views.
It will be up to the Chairman of the committee whether he suspends standing orders so that members of the public can speak on the proposal.
The original plan for 46 houses was turned down by the town council last March and was rejected by Wiltshire Council on August 28. The Sangsters’ agents, RCC Town Planning Consultancy (RCC), have six months in which to appeal Wiltshire Council’s decision.
It is said that this new draft proposal is timed so RCC can decide before the deadline at the end of February whether they need to lodge an appeal.
Jayne Baker, who organised local opposition to the original plans told Marlborough News Online: “The residents’ group is totally amazed and perplexed that the Sangsters still want to try and push this project forward. I can’t see they have addressed the reasons it was turned down before.”
The original plan was to build the houses on the existing recreation area (now owned by Wiltshire Council) and to provide a replacement play area on the water meadow alongside the River Og (owned by the Sangsters’ Manton Estate and assumed not have been included in the recent estate sale.)
Details of the new ‘draft amended proposal’ will be reported later by Marlborough News Online. But in essence this proposal reduces the number of new homes from 46 to 39 and the offer to create a ‘Nature Park’ has been removed from the plans.
A larger multi-use, all-weather play area would be provided within a grassed area. But the need to replace the full area taken up by the housing still means that a ‘free play area’ would need to be provided on the water meadow.
It is not clear how far this would involve draining part of the water meadow or whether this would be cleared by the Environment Agency which raised last minute doubts as to whether the original plan would lead to flooding in the Og Valley. The plan still provides for a large drainage pond in the north-east of the water meadow area.
Residents are still concerned about the safety of children who would use this ‘free play area’ as it would be shielded from view by a line of trees which were identified during the original planning process as an important wildlife habitat.
By the end of 2015 Topsy will be the same size as she is now…unlike that other Topsy who just ‘growed’
