Protect Tisbury: Community group rally against Station Work plans

Residents have set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for a barrister after the applicants Tisbury Community Homes formally appealed against the non-determination of the application.

The page has so far raised more £11,000, with a target of £15,000, with the aim of taking away the burden of legal costs away from Tisbury Council

The application consists of a mixed development of up to 86 homes, a care home of up to 40 bedspaces, new pedestrian and vehicular access and traffic management works, a safeguarded area for any future rail improvements, and areas of public open space.

Read more: Station Road, Tisbury: Inquiry into plans for 86 new homes to be held

Tisbury councillor Nick Errington said: “There is a hearing about the development for four days in February and for a further three days in March. There are various implications for this development and most of them are negative.

"If the development goes ahead, it would increase the population of Tisbury by 12 per cent which would impact local services including GP services. The plan is to close one of the arches at the site which could lead to increased traffic congestion and a long walk into the village or more cars on the roads."

There are businesses already on the site but these would have to close with a loss of about 50 jobs.

Read more: 130 people caught committing driving offences in a single day

Cllr Errington said: “The statutory requirement for affordable housing is 30 per cent but Tisbury Community Homes have stated that they will only be able to provide 12 per cent affordable housing. This is due to it being an industrial site. 

“We are not nimby’s; we want development, and it is on a brownfield site but there is a better and much smaller site that can be used for 13 homes and which will provide 46 per cent of affordable homes so higher than the statutory requirement."

Tisbury resident Simon DaVison said: “We worked hard on our neighbourhood plan. It was five years in the making. The site is in a difficult location, and on the other side of the railway track and is an industrial area. We weren’t even told. We received a leaflet which was distributed to every home."

He said: "The environment agency also raised an objection due to flooding."

Tisbury Community Homes says the plans provide "a high-quality and sustainable mixed use development on the Station Works site, which will greatly enhance the townscape of the village, and provide much needed housing and employment for local people".

Currently, councils across the country have to meet a specific target for new homes but soon, this will not be an issue, however, this change of legislation is unlikely to come in before the decision is made on the Tisbury development.

Simon said: "This is really annoying, and it takes so much of my time. Everyone has pulled together on this but we really feel as if we are under attack."

For more information, go to their crowdfunding page, and to view the plans in full, click here.