Local Plan: Britford residents up efforts to stop Downton Road houses

During a meeting held in Radnor Hall, Bodenham, on Thursday, September 1, Victoria Sturgeon presented arguments opposing one of the sites included in Wiltshire Council's Local Plan.

A greenfield site north of the A338 Downton Road, labelled 'site six', could have 220 new dwellings built upon it if the local plan is unchanged.

Mrs Surgeon lives next to the site in Britford Village and believes there is a realistic chance of the planning inspector refusing to include the site in the local plan.

The public consultation begins on Wednesday, September 27, but any comments made about the plan during this period must focus on whether the proposed sites meet the ‘tests of soundness’.

Comments should not focus on whether or not the respondent or a community likes or dislikes a particular site.

Read more: ​Harnham residents slam Wiltshire local development plans

Mrs Sturgeon has refined the village's approach to two points of opposition that she claims are based upon grounds of the site not being sound.

The first issue she highlighted was the potential risk of flooding for Britford residents.

Flooding in Britford Village during taken on January 16. (Image: Salisbury Journal)

She said: "We know the lower 25 per cent of site six gets flooded but the major problem is that it is at odds with Section 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework."

See more: ​Britford floods: Residents call for more help to protect their homes

This guidance from the UK Government states that strategic policies should be informed by a strategic flood risk assessment, and should manage flood risk from all sources.

"They should consider cumulative impacts in, or affecting, local areas susceptible to flooding," the framework continues.

Mrs Sturgeon believes the cumulative elements that affect the local area have not been considered. She said: "We had destructive flooding.

"The surface water runoff and groundwater increase would affect many properties in the village so they would be building new properties at the expense of current properties."

The group has raised £7k toward their £10k goal to employ a planning barrister, planning consultant and flood consultant.

The other point put forward is that the development would erase the distinctiveness and separate nature of Britford from Salisbury.

Read also: ​Britford's identity under threat if homes are built on farm field

Mrs Sturgeon said: "They are both enhanced by the landscape setting and we would lose effective visual separation.

“We’re very clear that the local plan itself is not fundamentally flawed but the proposals for site six are flawed.Council leader Richard Clewer answered residents' questions about the Local Plan. (Image: Wiltshire Council)

Councillor Richard Clewer, leader of Wiltshire Council, attended the meeting and said the issue of flooding "has some potential" but it depends on the evidence they put forward.

He added: "People like the idea of new housing but not when you propose to build it near to them. A petition is of no value here at all. It has to be driven by evidence. 

"The character of Britford is a really balanced argument. We should try to maintain the distinctiveness of settlements but Fisherton was once a village.

"With Britford you have got a really old village and that means you have a better argument to say it needs to retain separation."

The next step for the group is to encourage people to take part in the public consultation and to submit photographic evidence of flooding.