Home plans near village which inspired Dickens

A developer has won a planning battle to build 150 houses on the outskirts of a village.

The new homes will be built north of the A4 near Pickwick, close to Corsham in Wiltshire, which is said to be an inspiration for Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick Papers.

Planning inspector Dominic Young announced this week that he has found in favour of developer Great Tew Construction after Wiltshire Council failed to make a timely decision on the firm's planning application.

In a statement, the council said: "The Inspector's decision is final, and we anticipate we will receive submissions for reserved matters approval in due course to set out the details of the development."

The developer had appealed on the grounds of non-determination, the Local Democracy Reporting Service, external reported.

The scheme, which is just off the A4 northwest of Corsham, will include the construction of a new four-arm roundabout and a business hub.

More than 500 objections from individual residents had been received by Wiltshire Council, while the Pickwick Association also opposed the plans.

Corsham Town Council also lodged its objection to the development, citing concerns over the impact on the Pickwick Conservation Area, the loss of a greenfield site, ecology, and pressure on local infrastructure alongside other concerns.

Pedestrian access, parking, public open space and cycle routes are also included in Great Tew Construction's plans.

They say 30% of the homes will be designated 'affordable'. Of those, 60% will be made available for affordable rent, while 40% will be for shared ownership.

Adrian Foster, of Wiltshire Council, said: "Outline planning permission for this development has been granted by the Planning Inspectorate.

"The Inspector's decision is final, and we anticipate we will receive submissions for Reserved Matters approval in due course to set out the details of the development.

"Consultation will take place when this happens, however this does not give us the option to reverse the appeal decision."

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