Countryside campaigner warns of housing sprawl blighting Wiltshire

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 06:00 · Archive

A Campaign to Protect Rural England campaigner has warned that car-based housing estates are threatening Wiltshire's rural character.

Ken McCall, from the West Wiltshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, warned that an 'enormous rash' of car-based housing estates is spreading across Wiltshire and threatening the county's rural character. He challenged Wiltshire Council leader Ian Thorn at a full council meeting on 20 October, saying the developments contradicted the county's identity as an attractive destination for tourism.

Mr McCall said Wiltshire's landscapes, countryside, market towns and historic places drew visitors to the area. Instead, he said, they now encountered 'out-of-town, car-based housing estates' on the approaches to towns. 'What was once countryside is now a jumble of new roads, new roundabouts, and new car parks,' he said.

More development is already in the pipeline, Mr McCall warned. Housing estates with existing planning permission remain unbuilt, including Ashton Park near Trowbridge. Wiltshire's housing target has doubled to 3,500 homes a year, he told councillors.

Mr McCall criticised the Government's 'standard method' for calculating how many homes councils must provide, saying it did not adequately account for jobs, commuting, services, public transport or geography. He questioned whether development on such a scale made economic, social or environmental sense.

How it is being reported

• Warning that 'enormous rash’ of housing estates is 'blighting' WiltshireAn “enormous rash” of car-based housing estates is spreading across Wiltshire, a countryside campaigner has warned.Swindon Advertiser · 23 Oct, 05:00
• Warning that 'enormous rash’ of housing estates is 'blighting' WiltshireAn “enormous rash” of car-based housing estates is spreading across Wiltshire, a countryside campaigner has warned.Gazette & Herald · 23 Oct, 05:00
• Warning that 'enormous rash’ of housing estates is 'blighting' WiltshireAn “enormous rash” of car-based housing estates is spreading across Wiltshire, a countryside campaigner has warned.Wiltshire Times · 23 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Ken McCall · Ian Thorn · Campaign to Protect Rural England · Wiltshire Council · Wiltshire · Trowbridge

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