Page 12 - link magazine

Community News

People power forces developer to withdraw 48-home application

Opponents of a 48-home offered a gift of land by Taylor
development in the vale below Wimpey.
St Mary’s Church in Lydiard Park A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson
are delighted that Taylor Wimpey said: ‘We have decided to withdraw
(Oxfordshire) has withdrawn its our planning application at Lydiard
planning application – for the time Tregoze in order to undertake
being. further work on our proposals
Wiltshire Council planners were in response to local comments
expected to make a decision on received.
whether to accept or reject the ‘We will ensure that the local
application by the end of November. community is kept informed about
The company has owned the site our future plans via the project
between the park and Tewkesbury website.”
Way for about 30 years and has Lydiard Heritage Action Group
made several attempts to gain Lydiard House and St Mary’s Church with a computer impression of the feared the small scale development
permission to build on it, all of proposed Taylor Wimpey estate one field from Lydiard Park. close to the park outside Swindon’s
which have been rejected. Lydiard Millicent village can be seen on the left. urban envelope, would set a
On this occasion since 2014 precedent for further planning
Taylor Wimpey invested a huge should sign a petition against the Council and Friends of Lydiard Park, applications on green fields
amount of time and effort building development and asking them to the large and influential such as westwards, between Swindon and
a convincing case, backed up with to write letters of objection to Swindon Borough Council, Historic Purton.
two phases of consultation and Wiltshire Council. England, Campaign for Rural Group chair Kevin Fisher said: “I
considerable social media activity. Before the planning application England, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and don’t believe for a moment that
However, they did not reckon on a was withdrawn on 15 November, Rescue, The Georgian Group and Taylor Wimpey are going away. They
massive effort from the community there were two supporters of the The Gardens Trust. will return with another application
to create a case to protect one of development and more than 600 Wiltshire Council’s Conservation at some point in the future.
Swindon’s favourite places. objections from Swindon and Officer, Drainage Officer and However, we would like to thank all
Members of Lydiard Heritage Wiltshire residents, including Robert Highways Engineer also registered the people from both Swindon and
Action Group, set up in June 2016, Buckland MP and James Gray MP. objections. Wiltshire, and all the organisations,
distributed 10,000 leaflets across Many organisations also weighed- The only body to indicate support who took time to write to Wiltshire
West Swindon, to the village of in against the proposal, from the was Lydiard Tregoz Parish Council planners to demonstrate that such a
Lydiard Millicent and the hamlet small such as Shaw Residents’ which represents about 500 precious heritage asset is well loved
of Hook, explaining why residents Association, Lydiard Millicent Parish residents around Hook. It had been and must be protected at all costs.”

12 swindonlink.com n December 2016

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