Politics & Council · Salisbury
Plans for 21 homes at Petersfinger refused by Wiltshire Council
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
Wiltshire Council has rejected a planning application for 21 homes at Elmfield House, citing significant concerns over road safety, ecological impact, and drainage.
A major housing development proposed for Petersfinger has been blocked by Wiltshire Council after planning officers concluded that the scheme would cause unacceptable harm to the local area. The application for 21 homes at Elmfield House, located near Salisbury, was refused permission following a series of formal objections from council departments.
The proposal involved the conversion of the existing Elmfield House and its outbuildings into six homes, alongside the construction of 15 new properties on the surrounding land. Although the site sits within the Salisbury settlement boundary, officers decided that the negative impacts of the scheme outweighed the council's need to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, which currently stands at 2.8 years.
Concerns over road safety and environment
Highways safety was a central reason for the refusal. Wiltshire Council's highways team raised significant concerns regarding the suitability of the local infrastructure, noting that parts of Petersfinger Road lack pavements. Officials warned that the increase in traffic would pose a danger to pedestrians and pointed out a lack of a proposed footpath to link the development to New Petersfinger Road.
Ecological concerns also formed a major barrier to the project. Council ecologists stated that the applicant failed to adequately address potential harm to protected species, including bat roosts and dormice. Furthermore, the development was expected to result in a 32 per cent reduction in the site's biodiversity value, with no sufficient plan provided to mitigate this loss. The lack of a nutrient neutrality assessment for the River Avon Special Area of Conservation was also cited as a failure in the application.
Impact on local character
In addition to safety and environmental issues, council officers raised objections regarding the design and density of the project. The council's urban design officer warned that the layout would give the rural setting of Petersfinger Road an overly urban character. Trees and hedgerows would have been significantly impacted, with the council's arboricultural officer estimating the loss of approximately 50 trees, eight tree groups, and the majority of the site's hedgerows.
Drainage specialists also objected, stating the applicant had not demonstrated how the scheme would achieve the required 20 per cent reduction in surface water run-off from greenfield levels. While an outline application for a smaller scheme of five homes on a portion of the site was approved in January 2021, the scale of this latest proposal was deemed too substantial and poorly suited to the location.
Source: Salisbury Journal — Salisbury · View original