PLANS have been submitted for a new 75-bed care home and 95 houses to be built next to a supermarket which is currently under construction.
The mixed housing would be on land near Lechlade Road and the Blackworth Industrial Estate in Highworth, where a new Aldi is being built.
When that supermarket's plans were approved, there was also a proposal to turn the rest of the site, which is currently a field bordered by hedges and trees, into employment land for other businesses to use.
The Local Plan has this green space earmarked for employment land but the developer now claims that although "it has been marketed and listed on property portals since April 2018... efforts to find an employment use of the whole site have failed and therefore alternative uses for the site were sought".
The area could instead now have a new care home development and a small industrial scheme, amounting to circa 20,000 sq ft and subsidised by housing.
The site measures approximately 6 hectares (15 acres) and, if the plans get the green light, would have a 75-bed care home, up to 95 dwellings (including affordable housing), a courtyard of employment units, areas of public open space and children's play areas, and access for vehicles via a new road which also leads to the Aldi.
This access will also be designed to be attractive to pedestrians and cyclists, but other points of access for them will be provided which use the existing public right of way that crosses the site.
The care home and employment elements are proposed to be located close to the Aldi store and its associated access for maximum accessibility for light goods and delivery vehicles.
The residential element of the scheme will be set out around a tree-lined spine road and will include a green corridor running the length of the southern boundary, and a larger area of informal open space to the north.
The scheme will allow for pedestrian and cycle access to the employment areas to the south, the supermarket to the east, and the town centre to the South West.
The developer adds: "Overall, the scheme will provide a balanced mix of uses in a location with good access to services and facilities, which provides ample opportunity for active travel, being set within an attractive landscape setting."
Opinions on the proposal can be submitted until September 30. Visit https://north-highworth.co.uk/ to fill out the survey, or email enquiries@grassroots-planning.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel