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Homes agreed on allotments
From the The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, first published Thursday 17th Aug 2006.
THE decade long battle against the building of homes on the former Spitalcroft allotment site in Devizes came to an end last Thursday.
Kennet District Council's regulatory committee approved the final details of plans by Crest Nicholson to build 158 homes on the land off London Road.
The fight against housing had been the subject of four public inquiries.
Kennet was against the plans as were townspeople and the campaign was led by the Spitalcroft Allotment Association.
But the fight effectively came to an end in April last year when Government planning inspector Ray Hiscox allowed the appeal by Robert Hitchins Homes and granted outline planning permission for 158 houses.
Despite fears by allotment holders that alternative allotment land being created at Windsor Drive would not be appropriate, experts have deemed the soil suitable.
Robert Hitchins sold the land to Crest Nicholson in January this year. Crest estimate the sale value of the site to be £27 million.
The homes will range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses and half of them will be affordable housing.
London Road resident Paul Jakeman spoke of his concerns about light pollution from the lampposts on the development and about one three-storey building on the north western side which he felt would tower over the canal.
Planning officer Richard Cosker said Kennet had no objection to this building as it said it was not particularly high and was not unsimilar to existing properties in London Road.
No vaccess for vehicles will be allowed from London Road to the site. Instead access will be from Brickham Road at the north eastern side and from Meadow Drive at the south west end.
The committee was told that the Environment Agency had withdrawn its holding objection after Crest Nicholson provided an acceptable drainage strategy.
Coun Ray Parsons said: "It's a very sad day for local democracy. The town council and the district council objected but the Government has beaten us.
"It's one of the last open spaces in Devizes and we have to be grateful that the scheme is relatively low density."
Building will start next month and take three years.
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