Council experts object to plans for hundreds of new Swindon homes

Daniel Angelini
·3-min read
More objections have been submitted to plans for a Newburn Sidings housing estate near the railway line around Westcott and Rodbourne <i>(Image: Turley)</i>
More objections have been submitted to plans for a Newburn Sidings housing estate near the railway line around Westcott and Rodbourne (Image: Turley)

Changes to plans for a major housing estate near the railway line in Swindon’s town centre were welcomed – but some problems persist.

One Swindon hopes to build up to 262 residential dwellings and 142 square metres of other uses such as a possible convenience store or a cycle hub and café on brownfield land between Rodbourne Road and Wootton Bassett Road.

The application for Newburn Sidings was first lodged in 2021 and has undergone several changes in response to concerns about environmental harm, traffic, and other issues.

Nearby neighbours remained unconvinced of the new housing’s merits, and representatives of various Swindon Borough Council departments have now had their say.

The local authority's planning committee will discuss the revised application in a future meeting, though the exact date is yet to be determined.

Principal transport manager Gerry Prodöhol noted that although some of his fears had been allayed by the developer's efforts to address potential problems, he still had some doubts about the proposal.

He wrote: “An adequate assessment of off-site traffic impact has been undertaken and I am content that highway mitigation is not required.

“On the matter of the secondary access to the site from Rodbourne Road, I am content that a technically acceptable arrangement can be achieved.

“I would request operational assessment of the junction to verify the implications, in terms of queueing and delay, of the changes to the signalling arrangement.

“In respect of the primary vehicle access to the site, I feel it reasonable to ask for an updated operational assessment of the arrangements proposed.

“Until such time as an updated operational analysis of the two site access junctions is submitted, I must continue to object to the proposals.”

The arboriculture officer also maintained his prior objections because, though new trees would be planted to help mitigate the loss of any felled to build the estate, the creation of the access route into the area "remains the catalyst for a large swathe of the woodland to be lost".

Barry James added: “The arboricultural report does not address the reprofiling of the bank and, thus, the actual loss of trees will be significantly greater than presented.

“In stating that efforts by the design team to amend the original layout has reduced the removal amount of the woodland and are regarded as a positive step, I remain concerned that the arboricultural assessment that led to the positivity is sufficiently accurate.”

A key problem some have with the proposal is the possible risks of building on contaminated land near the railway tracks.

Contaminated land officer David Rudland wrote: "No new technical information with respect to land contamination appears to have been received.

"Therefore, I see no reason at this time to amend my previous comments… and my request for contaminated land conditions to accompany any grant of planning permission still stands.”

Housing strategy and development officer Sally Nelson added: “As a consultee, we are disappointed that the scheme cannot on this appraisal demonstrate any affordable housing delivery, however this will need to be subject to the council’s independent viability assessment.”

Turley argues that the proposed enhancements to the area will support the existing biodiversity, provide new habitats for birds, bats, and amphibians, increase landscape connectivity, and protect areas of ecological value.

A spokesperson added: "The range of studies that have been undertaken to support this planning application demonstrate that a high-quality development will be achieved at the site, and that there are no environmental, technical or other reasons why planning permission should not be granted in this case."

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