There were contrasting responses from Swindon Borough Council planners to separate proposals to use agricultural land for differing purposes in the same tiny village.

One application to use a field in Hinton Parva for equestrian activities was approved, with a separate plan to use a field for housing was turned down.

In the south of the village to the west of Wanborough, Andrew Timbrell applied to use the land immediately to the south west of the junction of Body Horse Hill and White Hill for private equestrian use.

It was a retrospective application, meaning the land was already being used for the new purpose.

The land had been previously classified for agricultural use and while horses have been ridden and trained in the field for some time, Mr Timbrell’s application said he: “was not aware that planning permission was required for this change of land use, but was notified of this requirement by the council’s enforcement officers.”

Two neighbourhood objections were made about the use of the site for commercial purposes without planning permissions, and light and noise pollution.

But Mr Timbrell had assured planners that while there had been a commercial use previously, that had stopped before the planning application had been submitted.

The council’s conservation officer said using the land to keep horses would not harm the conservation area, and planning officers wrote: “The keeping of horses would, by its very nature, be unlikely to give rise to harmful levels of noise and disturbance. As such the principle of keeping horses in close proximity to residential properties would be acceptable.”

Permission was granted with the condition that the new use did not include commercial activity.

In the north of the village the paddock next to West Hill House on City Corner had been acquired by a Mr And Mrs Kujeke, who wanted to use it for housing.

Their application showed they wanted to build a four-bedroom house with a triple garage and two outdoor parking spaces.

The plan met an objection from Bishopstone Parish Council: “Any development on this land will result in severe landscape harm due to the prominent position on the edge of the village. The opening up of the proposed access would inevitably result in the loss of some important hedgerow and further add to the landscape harm.”

Planners were convinced, writing: “The proposals represent an incremental spread of built development into the countryside and loss of important hedgerow causing visual harm to the landscape and character of the area” in refusing consent.