EBBRAG (formerly EBRAG) – Page 3

Development Of Farm Land In Warminster Sparks Concern

Friday 2nd January 2026

From the Facebook page of EBBRAG (the East Boreham Business And Residents Action Group) ~

From The Wiltshire Times (Senior Correspondent John Baker) Friday 2nd January 2026:

Development Of Farm Land In Warminster Sparks Concern

Residents in Warminster have voiced growing concerns as developers press ahead with proposals for two farmland sites just as the town’s Neighbourhood Plan Review reaches its final consultation stage.

The Warminster Neighbourhood Plan (WNP) Review, a community-led framework designed to protect local heritage, safeguard green spaces and guide future development, is now nearing completion following three years of preparation.

An eight-week public consultation on the full draft plan is due to begin at the end of January 2026. Following this, the plan will be submitted to Wiltshire Council for independent examination in the summer, before being put to a local referendum. A majority vote in favour would be required for the plan to be formally adopted.

However, many residents have voiced concerns that the process may not progress quickly enough to prevent farmland being used for housing development sites.

Developers including Bellway Homes and Rubix Land are already advancing proposals on sites previously considered by the town council during earlier stages of the plan’s development.

At Home Farm on Boreham Road, Bellway Homes is proposing up to 135 new houses. Meanwhile, at Ashley Coombe, Rubix Land is continuing to pursue a development scheme despite the town council withdrawing its support after updated surveys raised concerns about land levels, underground services and potential odour issues.

More than 320 residents have voiced their opposition to the developments ahead of the Neighbourhood Plan Review public consultation being launched.

Around 100 residents attended a public meeting over the summer to discuss the Ashley Coombe proposals, while the East Boreham Business and Residents Action Group (EBBRAG) has launched a campaign to strongly oppose development at Home Farm, holding meetings and mobilising support online.

EBBRAG members Gwyn and Anne Evans said: “Development of this land was unequivocally turned down by a Government inspector in 2020. Despite this, our local town council has included this complex site as a singular option for development, for residents of Warminster to vote on at referendum, even though 61 per cent voted against this in its informal survey.

“To add more fuel to the fire of opposition, Bellway Homes, with the full knowledge of the town council, are poised to submit a ‘speculative’ planning application. Local residents are outraged at how a supposedly democratic and ‘community led’ process can be willingly compromised in this manner.

“We feel decisions, well intentioned though they may have been, have largely been made behind closed doors and without meaningful reference to the community of Warminster.”

Bellway Homes says its Home Farm scheme is needed to help meet local housing demand. The developer has stated that 40 per cent of the homes would be affordable, with provision for multi-generational living, and that more than half of the 5.9-hectare site would be retained as public green space.

Residents raised questions about the plans at a public consultation on November 19, with formal feedback accepted until December 5. The group is urging locals to formally object to the housing proposal.

At Ashley Coombe, Rubix Land is promoting a revised proposal for 77 homes, now accessed solely via Ashley Coombe after removing a previously included parcel of land near Fanshaw Way. The developer says it remains committed to the site, despite the withdrawal of the WNP Review Steering Group support.

In a statement, Rubix said: “Whilst the WNPR Steering Group has withdrawn support for this revised scheme, Rubix considers it offers a suitable and acceptable alternative.” The company is seeking further feedback from the community on design, green space and connectivity.

Meanwhile, Warminster town councillor Phil Keeble has urged residents to take part in the upcoming consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan, saying: “The draft plan has been prepared by local representatives with the input of hundreds of residents. Your feedback is vital to inform the final plan we submit for formal examination and adoption.”

Further information about the Neighbourhood Plan consultation is available from Warminster Town Council on 01985 214847, by emailing [admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk](mailto:admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk), or via [www.warminsterplan.com](http://www.warminsterplan.com/).

Picture shows an artist’s impression of how the new houses on the farmland will look. Image from Wiltshire Council.

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/…/25731692…/

For further information about the Home Farm development please contact EBBRAG (the East Boreham Business And Residents Action Group:

email: info@ebbrag.com

website: www.ebbrag.com

The Threat Of Large Scale Housing Development On Home Farm, Boreham, Warminster, Has Returned

Friday 31st October 2025

A flyer is being distributed by EBBRAG (the East Boreham Business And Residents Action Group) alerting the public of Warminster of the threat of housing development (large scale) on Home Farm.

Bellway Homes have submitted a planning pre-application for houses on Home Farm, Boreham, to Wiltshire Council. (The public are not allowed to see this).

A planning inspector turned down a previous application for Home Farm in 2019.

The Warminster Neighbourhood Plan is seriously flawed.

If you are against unwanted and unsuitable development on Home Farm and want to support EBBRAG in their campaign to stop this planning disaster, please go to their website and register your name for updates and further information.

www.ebbrag.com

email: info@ebbrag.com

Warminster Town Council At Odds With Residents Over New Housing Plans ~ Warminster Neighbourhood Plan Is Deeply Flawed And Written By An Unaccountable Consultant Paid For By Public Funds

Friday 31st October 2025

Warminster Town Council at Odds with Residents Over New Housing Plans ~ Warminster Neighbourhood Plan is deeply flawed and written by an unaccountable consultant paid for by public funds.

Latest news from the East Boreham Business And Residents Action Group (EBBRAG):

Warminster Council at Odds with Residents Over New Housing Plans

Warminster Town Council (TC) looks increasingly out of step with its residents over proposals to open up yet more land for housing development.

A recent council survey revealed deep public concern about the strain on local services and the loss of the town’s cherished landscape. Yet, despite 61% of respondents in the recent council survey opposing development on Home Farm Land, the council has chosen to include this very site as a key area for future expansion in its draft Warminster Neighbourhood Plan.

The decision has sparked frustration among locals â€” especially given that the land’s controlling owners live overseas and have no direct stake in the wellbeing or character of the town. These owners have previously sought planning permission to build on the site, even though it lies outside Wiltshire’s Strategic Housing Plan to 2038 and the official town settlement boundary. On previous occasions, the most recent in 2019, a Government Planning Inspector concluded the land unsuitable for housing development.

Strong opposition to the proposal has also come from Bishopstrow House Hotel, one of the town’s largest employer, and from local Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison, both of whom argue that such expansion risks undermining the very qualities that make Warminster distinctive. To develop Home Farm Land severely undermines the hotel’s future, as the proposed development will be in eyesight of the hotel and its gardens, thereby affecting the great economic benefit it currently brings to Warminster as a whole.

Critics say the current draft Neighbourhood Plan is deeply flawed and written by an unaccountable consultant paid for by public funds, rather than for or by residents. Warminster’s unique identity stems from its people, its historic buildings, and its remarkable setting within the surrounding landscape. Many of the town’s most valued heritage and natural assets lie precisely on its eastern edge â€” the very area now being targeted for development.

As the debate continues, one question looms large: will the council listen to its community and protect the town’s character, or push ahead with plans that could irreversibly alter it?

www.ebbrag.com/www.ebbrag.com/

Danny Howell writes: My photograph shows a view of Boreham. The green field near the centre of the pic, adjacent The Dene, is part of Home Farm and is under consideration for housing by Bellway Homes. They have a pre-application for planning put before Wiltshire Council (which the public are not allowed to see). And Warminster Town Council recently held a meeting with some Boreham and Bishopstrow residents asking them to agree that Home Farm should be developed, despite the fact it has previously been turned down by a planning inspector and is against the will of a large number of Warminster’s residents.

Versant Developments Are The New Owners Of Bishopstrow House Hotel And Spa

Wednesday 21st February 2018

Amanda Cuff on the Facebook page of the East Boreham Residents Action Group (EBRAG) writes:

Longleat has sold Bishopstrow house and Spa to Versant Developments

Frank Mountain, Director of Versant Developments says: “We are very excited about this new venture. Bishopstrow is a spectacular hotel in a wonderful setting and when we originally looked at the prospect of purchasing the hotel we saw great potential here”.

An exciting future lies ahead for Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa. With an extensive programme of refurbishment in the works for both the hotel and its gardens, there are also plans to hold new events in our 27 acres of superb grounds. Without giving too much away, guests can expect a fresh look for the hotel and restaurant – not to mention lots of new and exciting events.

Warminster Independent Councillors Remain Committed To No Housing On The Fields Of Home Farm

12th April 2017

Paul Macdonald writes:

Another good constructive meeting with the EBRAG (East Boreham Residents Action Group) committee tonight where I introduced the fourth member of our candidate team for the Warminster Town Council election ecologist Iain Perkins. We Independents remain as committed this time as we were four years ago to defending our ward against unwarranted and unjustified speculative planning applications to build houses, including on the fields of Home Farm, Boreham.

Unconstitutional Meeting Wants Development Line For The Town To Be Extended To Include Home Farm ~ Time For EBRAG To Come Together Again

Friday 29th August 2014

Paul Macdonald writes:

Warminster Town Council at a full meeting of the members which was not open to the public but had ‘invited’ others, have decided that the development line for the town should be extended to include Home Farm and the water meadows up to the river Wylye. I will not attend meetings like this out of principle. The town clerk has now been (improperly in my view) instructed to produce a report based on the discussions at this unconstitutional meeting as the response to the consultation by Wiltshire Council for a review of the settlement line for villages and towns as requested by the Core Strategy Inspector. It is time for EBRAG (the East Boreham Residents Action Group) to come together again.

Unconstitutional Or Secret Meeting ~ Call It What You Will ~ Warminster Town Council Seeking To Extend The Development Boundary For Warminster To Include Home Farm At Boreham And The River Wylye Watermeadows ~ Councillor Paul Macdonald Says Warminster Town Council Are Acting Improperly

Friday 29th August 2014

Warminster Town Councillor Paul Macdonald has posted the following comment on the East Boreham Residents Action Group (EBRAG) Facebook page, alerting the community to a rather alarming piece of news ~ that the Town Council are seeking to extend the development boundary to include Home Farm and the lush watermeadows adjacent the River Wylye ~ this has been initiated at a meeting to which the public were not informed or invited.

The proposed extension, controversial to say the least and against the majority wishes of the community, will have huge detrimental effects on the farm land, green lanes and wildlife-rich meadows on the eastern side of Warminster, impacting in a devastating way on the residents, fauna and flora of Boreham and Bishopstrow. Councillor Macdonald accuses the Town Council of acting improperly. He has written:

“Warminster Town Council at a full meeting of the members which was not open to the public but had ‘invited’ others have decided that the development line for the town should be extended to include Home Farm and the water meadows up to the river Wylye. I will not attend meetings like this out of principle. The town clerk has been (in my view) improperly instructed to produce a report based on the discussions at this unconstitutional meeting as the response to the consultation by Wiltshire Council for a review of the settlement line for villages and towns as requested by the Core Strategy Inspector.”

Beautiful Bishopstrow And Boreham ~ Under Threat From Developers

Monday 19th May 2014

Under threat from developers.

Beautiful Bishopstrow and Boreham (photo by Alexis Marsh on the East Boreham Residents Action Group ~ EBRAG ~ Facebook page, click here.):

Danny Howell writes ~

Bishopstrow and Boreham ~ a beautiful place in the big wide world! What a tragic loss it will be if this scene is irreversibly destroyed forever by bricks and mortar? I hate to imagine what this scene from Battlesbury Hill will look like if the developers get their way. We owe the preservation of this countryside to generations to come.

Nick Dombkowski Has Launched A Petition To Reinstate The Name Boreham, As The Hamlet It Was, With Its Own Separate Identity And Road Signs

Sunday 5th January 2014

Nick Dombkowski has launched an online petition to get the ‘Boreham’ signs reinstated.

He writes ~ “I feel that the identity of the hamlet of Boreham and its placename have been stealthly taken away by the removal of the road signs that once stood at either end of the hamlet in recent times. I feel that their removal was a step towards absorbing Bishopstrow into Warminster East (formerly Boreham). It is only by the beady eyes of some local wise folk, who have lived here for decades, that this has been drawn to my attention. They have asked me ‘What can be done?’ They say they have challenged the local parish authority to no avail. The response was ‘They wouldn’t do such a thing as that!’

So, I am asking local people, past and present and even new to the Boreham area to sign a petition which we will present to Wiltshire Council, asking to reinstate the Boreham signs.

Boreham can boast an agricultural history, being predominantly a farming community. It once had its own post office and a couple of shops. One of the shops was Webb’s Convenience Store, now the empty Rip-Off building. Click here to go to the Boreham Page on Vision For Britain.

The old Boreham Farm now lies buried under St. George’s Playing Field. My late father worked as a farm labourer in turn at Boreham Farm (for Tom Bazley) and also Home Farm, Boreham (for Bert Legg). I would like to reinstate the name Boreham with its own signs, in memory of my father and to all the people who have served the Boreham community all of their lives.

Incidentally, the word ‘Boreham’ appears on the BBC Weather app on one’s Smart phone or Ipad, so I think it is important that we protect the name of a place I’m immensely proud to be part of. Hope you feel the same way too. Thank you for reading this. Please support this cause.”

To sign the petition online, click here.

Danny Howell replies ~

Thank you Nick for letting us know about your initiative. I applaud your action and I will certainly sign your petition. I will encourage others to do likewise. By the way, I raised the matter of the removal of the Boreham signs, on this website, back on Sunday 21st October 2012, after Jean Whelan had raised her concerns about the matter at the first public meeting the East Boreham Residents Action Group (EBRAG) held at St. John’s Church that autumn.

Wiltshire Core Strategy Examination

Wednesday 10th July 2013

Nick Parker, Chairman of EBRAG (the East Boreham Residents Action Group) writes:-

Just to remind you that the Wiltshire Council Core Strategy for sustainable residential development in Warminster until 2026 is due to be examined tomorrow by the Planning Inspector in Trowbridge Civic centre. The examination is due to start at 0930 hrs. I have attached an outline of the agenda below to give all a taste of the proceedings during the day.

EBRAG have represented concern to the Planning Inspector, in writing, about the soundness of the Sustainability Assessment, conducted by Wiltshire Council, for development of Home Farm land. EBRAG views will be taken into consideration during any review. EBRAG will not therefore be representing these views again verbally tomorrow, but committee members will be present to monitor the arguments put forward against the Wiltshire Core Strategy. It is expect that the main objectors to the plan are agents, acting on behalf of the developers and land owners, who will argue that West Warminster Urban Extension cannot be completed early enough and therefore other land should be developed to compensate. The numbers of houses proposed for Warminster and town boundary developement limits could also be contested.

The results of the examination with the findings and judgement of the Inspector should be known in the Autumn – exact date to be confirmed.

EBRAG committee will continue to keep you updated.

Agenda

1. Welcome and Introductions (09.30)

2. Factual updates and clarifications (as necessary)

3. Focus for Discussion

Matter 9: Community Areas – Warminster, Westbury and Wilton

Does the CS take a robust approach to the identified community areas of Wiltshire and key settlements? Is the approach consistent with national policy and will the objectives of the plan be capable of effective delivery?

R) Warminster Community Area

With due regard to the consideration of alternatives, does the CS take a justified approach towards the Warminster Community Area? Will it be effective in terms of delivery?

1. What is the justification for the strategy embodied in CP 31?

2. Does the CS reflect adequately the community strategy for the area?

3. Is the approach of the CS supported by adequate evidence pertaining to the Habitats Directive, particularly in relation to the River Avon SAC and the Salisbury Plain SPA? Does the urban extension take into account its potential effect upon the AONB?

4. Is the distribution and amount of employment land clear, justified and deliverable? Are needs to be met? How have alternatives been considered?

5. Is the level and distribution of housing justified adequately with due regard to alternatives and the demands upon infrastructure?
a. Is the strategic allocation for the area justified by the evidence base and of an appropriately defined size and location? How have alternatives been considered?
b. Is the CS clear as to the deliverability of the non strategic housing?
Should specific sites be allocated?

6. Is the town boundary defined appropriately with regard to 44 and 48 Bath Road?

7. Does the CS make an adequate assessment of the infrastructure, including water supply, education and the emergency services, needs of the area to support the development proposed?

8. How will the housing and employment land be phased to deliver the strategic intentions of the CS?

9. Is Chapmanslade justified as a large village?

Strategic Allocations – Development Template Appendix A

10. What evidence supports the development template for the land at West Warminster Urban Extension? How will this site be reflected adequately on the Policies Map?

11. Does the template provide adequate information in relation to likely infrastructure requirements and implications? Are these justified and deliverable with due regard to the viability of development?

12. Are the housing requirements clear and justified, including affordable housing?

13. Does the template acknowledge effects upon heritage assets adequately?

14. Do Natural England and the Environment Agency have any outstanding concerns in relation to this site?