Saturday 10th January 2026
EBBRAG (the East Boreham Businesses And Residents Action Group) hosted a public meeting – Stop The Home Farm Development – at St. John’s Church, Boreham Road, Warminster, on Saturday 10th January 2026.
It was attended by 14 members of the EBBRAG Committee and 123 members of the public. There were 20 apologies.
The meeting was due to start at 2.30pm but there was a slight delay as the big number of people attending made a struggle for car-drivers to find somewhere to park. The line of cars stretched in both directions, some people having to park on the Boreham Road as far as to near the junction with Heronslade.
The meeting began with Nick Parker, the Chairman of EBBRAG, welcoming everyone before outlining the historical context of EBBRAG, what EBBRAG is trying to do, and some references to Bellway Homes, the developer who has a pre-application in processs for building houses on Home Farm.
This is what Nick Parker said:
Good afternoon.
Thank you for coming to this meeting today. My name is Nick. If my talk is not as polished as it should be please excuse me as EBBRAG received a copy of the draft Neighbourhood Plan around 1800hrs last night which has meant a rewrite of my notes into the early hours.
I would like to start by thanking the Parochial Parish Council of St. John’s for allowing EBBRAG to use the church as a community facility today – it is most kind and thank you.
I intend to give a brief time line of events, Home Farm land, what EBBRAG are trying to achieve, a bit on the developer and then after input from others and any questions, I’ll sum up with how you can help.
EBBRAG
East Boreham Residents Action Group was born in 1997 and played a prominent part to enable three Planning Inspectors to conclude Home Farm was unsuitable for development:
In 1997 when an Inspector selected Victoria Roadd rather than Home Farm.
In 2012 when Wiltshire Council and a Planning Inspector selected the Warminster West Urban Extension for development after rejecting Home Farm and confirming it was outside the town settlement boundary.
In 2016 the first Warminster Neighbourhood Plan was approved excluding this site, even after representation by a developer.
In 2020 a Planning Inspector concluded that the site should be removed from the Wiltshire Local Plan to 2038. The developer withdrew their application rather than have it refused.
The Inspectors main concerns were:
Access from Boreham Rd, including loss of ancient wall setting character for
Warminster.
Affect on Heritage designated and non-designated assets, including Bishopstrow House Hotel & Spa, Battlesbury Hill Camp, King Barrow, etc.
Surface and ground water contributing to phosphate pollution levels in the River Wylye.
Nothing has changed since that finding of three Planning Inspectors or the initial Warminster Neighbourhood Plan.
Bellway Homes started talking to Warminster Town Council about Home Farm in 2021, without the knowledge of local residents; and the Warminster Town Neighbourhood Plan rewrite started in 2022. The team to execute the rewrite comprised Town Councillors and volunteers from the community, none of whom have any qualification in planning. Because of their lack of knowledge, they rely on one planning consultant for advice (paid for by taxpayers’ money); no one qualified is checking the advice he gives. He advised that local landowners should be invited to register an interest in developing their
land. This was apparently to stop speculative development in Warminster for 5 years – ?
Fifteen sites came forward and three were selected – Home Farm, Ashley Coombe and old Yew Tree pub. I have to say the analysis of the three sites is very suspect. East Boreham Business and Residents Action Group was then resurrected to include local businesses, one being one of the largest employers in Warminster (Bishopstrow House Hotel And Spa).
Ashley Coombe was almost immediately withdrawn from the process as apparently “the developer” changed his proposal but no new site was selected to replace Ashley Coombe. A Council informal survey asked Warminster residents their views on the down selected sites. 61% of respondents stated “no”to developing Home Farm, with 18% as “may-be’s”. This provoked no reassessment of site selection and they continued in conversation to talk about Home Farm.
It is worthy to note at this stage Wiltshire Council through their own Planning for Warminster document (September 2023) only required 90 houses to be built in Warminster until 2038. Their main concern is the current inability to deal with phosphate pollution in the River Wylye. The river is a chalk stream and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest which is the basic building block of nature conservation legislation. Close development is one of the major
sources of pollution.
Wiltshire Council also withdrew Home Farm as a possible future development site based on historical evidence.
Warminster Town Council and the Warminster Neighbourhood Plan rewrite group have not mitigated or understood either of these points – Why?
In mid-2025 Bellway Homes submitted a pre-application to Wiltshire Council to develop Home Farm with 135 houses. As yet, they have not submitted an application but at their recent Public Consultation they stated it will be soon, as they are frustrated with the time the Neighbourhood Plan process is taking. If it is submitted before the Neighbourhood Plan is ratified, which is highly
likely, it means it becomes a speculative development application.
Last night EBBRAG had first sight of the draft Neighbourhood Plan – Home Farm is included but the conditions of development and numbers of houses are very different to the Bellway Homes proposed development. EBBRAG has not had the time to analysis this draft plan fully.
Lastly, Ashley Coombe has now had a speculative development application submitted by Rubix for 77 houses. We are talking to the organisers of the Ashley Coombe development protest group to combine opposition.
This means that two speculative development applications are now possible despite the claims of the Town Council that allocating housing in the Neighbourhood Plan will prevent such things happening.
An application (Cley Hill View) near Jubilee Gardens off Victoria Road has just surfaced for a further 227 houses.
This makes a total of a further speculative 439 houses on top of the West Warminster Urban Extension of approx. 800+ houses making up to 1239+ new houses for Warminster. How many more are in the pipeline because of the invite to landowners?
At this point, Nick Parker, with the help of Nick Tilt, stepped into the nave to explain the illustrations and diagrams of the Home Farm site, referencing boundaries, land ownership, and access to the proposed development.
Nick Parker then returned to the lectern and the microphone, to say:
What is EBBRAG is doing?
a) Stop purely residential development in a uniquely rural part of Warminster, which is outside the settlement boundary and rejected by Wiltshire Council as a development site.
b) Stop development impacting on already groaning town infrastructure including traffic, medical care, schooling, emergency services – EBBRAG has used National Statistics calculations for most support services for 1239+ houses, e.g. cars per house, a further 1500 cars in Warminster; Education another 325 primary and 169 secondary places, i.e. a further 494 school places!
c) Stop development generating surface and ground water following routes from the hills to the River Wylye through Home Farm land and causing flooding in areas which already flood on a regular basis such as Bishopstrow Roundabout and Home Farm and Grange Lane. In addition, contributing to dangerous rises in theil river level downstream for housing.
d) Stop development through strengthening our arguments with facts by employing experts, e.g.
i) A Conservationist looked at the impact on heritage designated and non-
designated assets around Home Farm and the report has been sent to Wiltshire Council.
ii) We have completed an aerial Topographical Survey to chart water flow from
Battlesbury Hill to the River Wylye. This shows areas around Boreham/Bishopstrow prone to flooding including Bellways’ proposed entrance to the site.
iii) An expert in river management to show already polluted and high levels of water in the River Wylye which will get worse through Climate Change and massive close development. We have sent an initial letter to Wiltshire Council concerning flooding in the east of Warminster and had a response.
iv) A Highways’ expert to show the current proposed entrance is dangerous and non-viable just after a blind bend on Boreham Road. The entrance was rejected in 2020 by Wiltshire Highways’ Department – why are they looking at it again?
iv) Finally Planning experts to show additional houses, on top of the proposed West Warminster Urban Extension, are not needed. It is speculative greed not need!
Bellway Homes
In the 2025 Bellway Annual Report they state they have nationwide a total of 94,944 development plots (houses) with either planning permission, awaiting planning permission or sites held under option to build! Why do they need a further 135 houses at Home Farm? Warminster does not need more houses, but the call for development sites by our Council has awoken the greedy.
There is a Facebook page called Bellway Homes Unhappy Customers (Hellway Homes) with over 3000 members who are complaining about the quality of their new Bellway homes – leaking roofs, mould growing in the attics, failure of items such as stairs, loos, leaks, etc. We are talking to the organisers of the Facebook page. What are councils doing about poor-quality building? The Town Council /Wiltshire Council will claim it is not their problem after approval is given.
The UK is currently one of the world’s most biodiverse-depleted countries. Urbanisation is a known driver of the nature crisis. This means that the planning system, which regulates development in the UK, plays a crucial role in protecting nature from harm.
However, in the summer of 2024, 42 new developments across five local planning authorities were audited in England to see whether developers were complying with these ecological conditions on the ground. Only 53% of the ecological features that should have been there were actually present. When street trees were removed, this fell to only 34% of what a developer said they would do!
I raise this as Bellway Homes has faced significant fines recently due to various
infractions, including: £600,000 for destroying a bat breeding site in Greenwich, which was the largest fine ever issued by an English court in relation to a wildlife crime and a further total of £100,115 for illegal water connections at two development sites and for dumping contaminated
soil on a site in Northumberland.
The point is these fines are very unusual as Councils do not normally follow up on what developers promise and then do not deliver or check the quality of the finished article! Look at Boreham Mead! I leave you to make your own minds up about who our Council has been in communication with without our knowledge!
Nick Parker then invited Gwynfor Evans to give a short history of the Warminster Neighbourhood Plan Process as experienced by EBBRAG:
After climbing up the steps to the pulpit, Gwyn said:
The Neighbourhood Plan as we have experienced it
Good afternoon,
My name is Gwyn Evans, my wife Anne, and I live on Home Farm Lane. The character of our town is a product of its people, the built environment and the sheer beauty of its surrounding landscape and historic setting. Any changes to those key elements should be done in a carefully considered manner with the
avoidance of harm wherever possible. A neighbourhood plan ought to be an ideal vehicle to manage sustainable growth our town. We live in an age where we are frequently encouraged to express an opinion even if we have no
relevant experience or knowledge. I shall attempt to avoid that trap and share with you in an honest way, our experiences of our first encounter with a neighbourhood Plan.
Communication and consultation
My story begins with me seeing a post by a local resident expressing concern that a Warminster Neighbourhood Plan Consultation was live, with only two weeks remaining for residents to respond. Very quickly, my wife and I spoke to neighbours, the people running Bishopstrow Hotel and residents along Boreham Road, including Nick Parker, who we knew had been past Chair of EBBRAG. It was quickly evident that no-one we spoke to knew anything about this survey.
In a matter of days EBBRAG had reformed, designed a leaflet and distributed hundreds to residents living close to Home Farm. At this point, it genuinely felt like we were playing catch up! The Town Council had already had detailed discussions with land promoters and developers, and employed consultants who had assisted them in shortlisting sites for potential housing development. We were the last to know!
At this point an original FIFTEEN SITES FOR CONSIDERATION HAD ALREADY BEEN REDUCED TO THREE, HOME FARM being one of them.
Many good practice guides state that effective community engagement should be in place before public money is spent on the services of private consultants. Opportunity missed!
EBBRAG members have designed, paid for and distributed over 2,000 leaflets to our local community in Warminster, we have a website and a strong social media presence. Was a leaflet drop like Bellway’s not something the Town Council could have done?
Concerns over site selection
There are 14 members of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering group , comprising five Councillors and nine volunteers. To date, the Town Council has not been forthcoming about its framework and selection process for securing volunteers for such a pivotal role. My view would be that as far as possible, this group should be as representative as possible of a broad cross section of Warminster residents.
Site selection should be fairly straightforward in terms of a process:
Technical assessment criteria – a bit like buying a car. You apply the same criteria to each car you are considering, so that you can make a comparative
assessment to decide which model has the most to offer. This does not appear to have been done effectively during the site assessment process. The
same criteria were not applied to all of the sites under consideration, for example some sites were considered under one criteria which is not even referred to for another site, even though equally applicable.
It is also evident that some of the consultant’s advice was ignored for some sites, e.g. flooding issues were cited by the consultants in relation to Home Farm yet there is NO mention of it in the notes produced by the Steering Group!
Shortcomings in the democratic process/duplicity
EBBRAG were invited to a meeting in August 2025 to discuss the outcome of the informal survey of the three sites selected and to give us the opportunity to raise our concerns.
We were assured that the community would be consulted “at every stage” of the Neighbourhood Plan process.
We were told that building on Home Farm land WOULD happen and our only option to effect positive change was “to get behind the Neighbourhood Plan”.
WAS this a democratic process? OR A FOREGONE CONCLUSION?
The outcome appeared to have already been decided before a range of democratic processes which are normally part of the overall process had been completed, i.e. public consultation once the draft plan is ready – pretty much where we are now
oversight by Wiltshire County Council
public referendum
This is the crux of our issues.
Question put to the Town Council:
“If the developer elected to play the system by submitting a ‘speculative application,’ would they then be outside the Neighbourhood Plan process?”
Response “I can’t really speculate on the scenario you have put forward.”
The Minutes of a Warminster Town Council meeting on 8th July, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, revealed that the Town
Council already knew Bellway were ready to submit a formal pre- application bid with Wiltshire Council. Yet they elected not to share that with us. It is obvious that the Town Council had knowledge of what Bellway were doing. At their “drop-in consultation event” Bellway were quite open about their involvement with the Town Council.
Nick Parker then invited Jonathan Walker, of Bishopstrow House Hotel & Spa, to speak about the implications of Home Farm development for Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa.
Jonathan said:
Good afternoon.
My name is Jonathan Walker, Managing Director of Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you, I appreciate it. We have owned Bishopstrow Hotel for the past four and a half years, and today, as part of
EBBRAG, I am speaking on behalf of a local business that is directly affected by this proposal.
For those who may not know, Bishopstrow Hotel sits immediately adjacent to the proposed housing development site. Over the last four years, we have invested very heavily in Bishopstrow. We have refurbished the guest rooms, public areas and spa, and carried out extensive work across the grounds,
including the river garden. This has not been cosmetic investment — it has been a long-term commitment to the area.
When we purchased Bishopstrow, we employed 35 people. Today, we employ over 100 full-time and part-time staff, making us the third-largest employer in the town. The majority of our team live locally in Warminster and nearby towns such as Westbury and Frome. Bishopstrow is not just a hotel; it is a significant local employer and contributor to the local economy.
What we offer our guests is peace, tranquillity, and a true Wiltshire experience. Guests come to enjoy the historic Georgian house, the beautiful grounds, and the surrounding countryside. They come to walk the local landscape, to enjoy the views towards the hills and historic settlements, and to explore nearby attractions such as Longleat, Stourhead and Stonehenge. Many of our guests bring their dogs specifically to enjoy these walks and open spaces. This
sense of calm and connection with nature is central to why people choose Bishopstrow.
The spa is absolutely critical to our future. All of our spa members live locally. They use the gym, sauna, steam room and indoor pool — but what they value most is the outdoor spa experience: the external pool, the grounds, and the sense of privacy and quiet.
We are currently investing a significant sum to further develop these outdoor spa areas. This includes refurbishing the external pool, adding a hydrotherapy pool and an outdoor sauna.
Going forward, Bishopstrow will be even more strongly positioned as a place to reconnect with nature. On land directly next to the proposed development site, we plan to extend our art installations for guests and local residents to enjoy.
Importantly, our grounds are open to the local community. We actively encourage local people to walk through the river garden and explore the estate. Bishopstrow is part of this community – not separate from it.
Economically, our contribution goes far beyond direct employment. We bring visitors into the area who spend money in local shops, restaurants and attractions. We also make a deliberate effort to use local suppliers and contractors wherever possible.
Our concerns about this development are therefore very real and very specific.
First, our spa grounds sit next to the proposed construction access road. Construction traffic, noise, fumes, lighting and disruption would severely damage the guest and member experience – the very thing people come to us for.
Second, once built, the development would permanently affect noise levels, light pollution, traffic volumes and, critically, the views from the hotel and spa. These views are not incidental – they are part of the product we sell.
Third, Bishopstrow is a Grade II listed Georgian building set within historic grounds. The estate includes multiple Grade II listed structures, historic walls, and three protected scheduled monuments, including King Barrow. This is a heritage landscape of county importance.
It is also important to note that in the past, Bishopstrow Hotel and Spa was explicitly cited as a key reason why housing development at Home Farm should not proceed. We are a recognised heritage asset. We have not moved. We are still here. And we still object.
Let me be clear: I am not opposed to housing development in principle. I fully understand the national need for more housing. But I do believe in responsible housing, and I do not believe this proposal is responsible. The scale, location and impact of this development would cause lasting harm to a unique
rural and historic setting. We need our council to work harder to identify sites that do not undermine one of the most beautiful parts of our county.
Like others have said today, I also question the sheer number of houses being forced onto this area.
So, I oppose this development as a business owner, but also as a neighbour and a custodian of this landscape. Bishopstrow is a special place – one that I believe is being undervalued by local decision-makers. Once places like this are damaged, they cannot be restored. Once historic landscapes are lost,
they are lost forever. We have a responsibility to stand against irresponsible development – not just for ourselves, but for future generations.
Thank you.
As Jonathan returned to his seat the audience applauded. It seems there was a lot of love in the room for Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa.
Nick Parker then invited Nick Tilt, who lives adjacent the B3414 road at Boreham, in the long inhabited family home, to speak about highway concerns and traffic on Boreham Road, something he knows about very well.
Nick said:
There are significant highway safety concerns relating to the proposed access road, visibility splays,required for development on Home Farm, and prevailing vehicle speeds on Boreham Road, which is subject to blind bends and carries a high volume and wide mix of traffic including cars, buses, HGVs, articulated lorries, and military vehicles.
Although the speed limit at the proposed access point is 30/40 mph, observed vehicle speeds frequently exceed these limits in both directions. While a 2017 traffic survey concluded that accident patterns would not be affected by the proposed development, there have been at least five recorded traffic incidents in recent years in close proximity to the proposed access, including collisions involving military vehicles, parked vehicles, and vulnerable road users. These incidents raise serious concerns regarding the suitability of this location for a new vehicular access.
The proposed access would be formed at the existing Home Farm entrance and would require the introduction of a right-turn centre ghost lane to protect westbound traffic turning right into the development. This would materially alter the character of Boreham Road at this point through extensive road markings that would result in harm to the setting and character of Bishopstrow Conservation Area.
In accordance with UK highways ghost lane junction design guidelines, each traffic lane, including the ghost lane, must be a minimum of 3.0 metres wide, requiring a total carriageway width of 9.0 metres. The existing carriageway at this location is too narrow and would need to be widened southwards into the conservation area. This would likely result in unacceptable harm to the root protection areas of the seven magnificent mature trees along the southern boundary. It would also cause a severe narrowing of the westbound lane at the point it approaches the driveway and 100 year old beech hedge of 202 Boreham Road and the bend near Boreham ManorH ouse, further exacerbating highway safety concerns.
Compliance with visibility requirements would also necessitate the formation of a splayed access through the existing heritage stone wall. Based on Wiltshire highways previously accepted drawings, approximately 30 metres of this historic wall would need to be demolished and rebuilt to achieve the required visibility splays. The associated ghost lane would extend approximately 55 metres west and 85 metres east of Home Farm Lane, almost to the entrance of Bishopstrow House Hotel and would likely require additional street lighting along its full length, resulting in a significant level of urbanising of this sensitive rural and conservation area setting.
Finally, 2021 Census data indicates an average car ownership of 1.23 vehicles per
household, equating to approximately 170 additional vehicles accessing Boreham Road from the development. This would place additional strain on an already congested western approach to Warminster, particularly during peak periods, and does not account for additional traffic movements resulting from deliveries, visitors, taxis, or other service vehicles.
For these reasons, the proposal raises substantial concerns in relation to highway safety, conservation impact, and the suitability of the access arrangement, and is therefore considered unacceptable. And it’s not just us who share these concerns!
In 2020, expert witness statements from Wiltshire Council (South) Conservation Officer and the Government appointed Planning Inspectorate concluded the following against the then proposed development of the Home Farm site and nothing has changed since their reports:
The wall has a “strong” street presence. A splayed opening (and associated highways works, including the creation of a ghost island and right turning lane) would create a much more suburban character and erode the attractive linear qualities of the wall as well as involve the loss of historic fabric. The current rural character is further reinforced by the modest number of street lights. The area is very dark at night, reinforcing the very rural character of the area. – Jocelyn Sage MSc, BSc(Hons), PG Dip TP, IHBC, Conservation Officer, Wiltshire Council (South).
“To provide access to the developable part of the site would require a new access off Boreham Road. This would include the loss of a significant stretch of an existing high wall that is important to the character of the street and setting of the conservation area. The access road would also need to run through the southern part of the site, potentially having a detrimental impact on the setting of heritage assets. Even if similar measures to those described for sites
H2.4 and H2.6 were considered, I am not convinced that the inevitable change in character would not result in unacceptable harm.” – Steven Lee BA(Hons) MA MRPTI, an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.
Nick Parker then invited the final speaker Jeremy Kelton, whose home is on a bank of the River Wylye, to speak about the River Wylye and flooding issues.
Jeremy said:
The stretch of the Wylye below Boreham Mill is where all the water flows from Warminster now end up. That stretch therefore picks up FULL effects of all the new building because of:
1. the loss of the floodplain
2. all the new hard standing which leads to fast run-off
3. domestic water brought into the catchment from elsewhere.
We believe that this BUILDING had a significant effect on flooding in Jan 2024 [river colour].
Also CLIMATE CHANGE is creating flooding:
The Govt can now measure the effects of climate change- critically, storms carry 15-20% more water.
The Government now says the number of properties at high risk of flooding could rise by 73% by mid century.
In January 2024 we witnessed floods:
1. The farm chemical factory in Watery Lane – flooded into their offices
A number of houses on river in Bishopstrow were inches from flooding.
2. Park Cottages by Boreham Mead flooded- we believe Boreham Mead was built up more, sending the water elsewhere.
3. Flooding on Boreham roundabout made it impassable to emergency vehicles.
The water was full of sewage coming down from overflows in the houses on Woodcock Road.
Also, the lack of capacity of pumping station on Boreham Road was a major factor.
HOME FARM WILL CONNECT TO THE SAME PUMPING STATION MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE.
THE REAL PROBLEM- Authorities still look at ISOLATED planning applications NOT THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF ALL THE BUILDING.
WE BELIEVE THAT Wiltshire Council needs to commission a detailed study of the water movement and flood potential in Warminster BEFORE they make any planning decisions. The Environment Agency said this was necessary for any new build after the West Warminster Urban Extension, but it hasn’t happened.
Nick Parker then opened the meeting up to the floor, to allow anyone present to have their say or raise their concerns about the planning process, the Neighbourhood Plan and development on Home Farm.
Questions and comments could be summarised as:
If we need only 90 homes, why are there so many building
developments with hundreds more houses being proposed?
The developers at Jubilee Gardens are struggling to sell their
properties. Other councils are buying up properties to fill the
shortfall in housing stock in their areas.
By the time the Neighbourhood Plan is completed and
ratified, the five years’ protection against speculative building
will have almost elapsed.
Am I right in thinking we, the public, should have been consulted about the Neighbourhood Plan before the draft was written?
Westbury Road development is back on the table as it has
gone to appeal.
There are housing units on army land which could be included
in the figures for required housing allocation; increasing
military accommodation could well offset the need for more
housing (Dr Andrew Murrison, M.P.)
Does anyone know what the Labour Government’s future plans are for housing?
The Town Council does try to engage the public about local issues,
including the Neighbourhood Plan, with often disappointing
response. The Council only has a limited budget – £200,000 for the Neighbourhood Plan. I urge people to look at the Town Council and Neighbourhood Plan websites and to be “proactive”. I am against development at Home Farm (applause). When you object, you need to use “planning” reasons to underpin objections. (East Ward Town Councillor Chris Robbins).
People are not bothered until a development directly affects them.
61 homes+ have already been built in the East of Warminster, – why do we
need more?
Government policy is to blame – relaxation of the planning process. Harder to block development.
There is a huge tip in the ground underneath part of the proposed site which is full of cars and all sorts of nasty things – the land could be contaminated.
I live at The Dene and I’ve noticed lots of bats in our area.
There has been consultation about the Neighbourhood Plan. I stood with Nick Parker in the Three Horseshoes Walk, canvassing people about the Plan (Town Councillor Stacie Allensby).
Nick Tilt then stood up and made an impassioned plea: Warminster is a great place to live and bring up your children. If you are concerned about what we have raised and feel passionate about it, then you need to vote against the
Neighbourhood plan and get 10 friends/contacts who live in the are to do the same.
With the time now approaching 4.30 p.m. Nick Parker summed up the proceedings:
Nick said:
At present we need to play a waiting game as:
The draft Neighbourhood Plan process is slow and painful – at some stage we the residents of Warminster need to vote for a plan to be approved? A lot of good work has gone into the rewrite, but to stop Home Farm inclusion I will vote against its acceptance at the appropriate time – will you?
The Bellway Homes application – We need to wait for submission of application to Wiltshire Council and then react – some 13 weeks to react. EBBRAG will organise responses, including draft format of letters from residents and if necessary legal argument against the application.
We are still looking for experts with hydrology, planning, legal expertise to help save expense – if you know of anyone please get in touch.
And we will continue to update via the EBBRAG website, Facebook, and Instagram pages, and will email provided you have registered your address via the contact form on our website or through social media.
Funding
EBBRAG has now spent some £3,000.
Many of you have been very generous already and I appreciate that this time of year with the current cost of living crises mean every penny must be watched, but EBBRAG needs your financial help to employ the experts we need. There are 2 buckets at the entrance as you leave so any amount of cash however small is gratefully received.
You can also donate via the EBBRAG website: www.ebbrag.com
The EBBRAG Lloyds Business account is audited by an independent financial expert every 6 months.
Conclusion
It is worrying the Neighbourhhood Plan has not been community led, as you have heard, nor stopped speculative development in Warminster for houses not needed. Jubilee Gardens is slowing their house building, because they cannot sell houses. Why is our Town Council therefor looking at Home Farm and other sites for a further 439 houses when Jubilee Gardens can produce the perceived requirement? The Town Council said they want to stop speculative development for 5 years – this is a joke as they have encouraged it and are now powerless to stop it!
The Town Council enthusiastically applauded in spring 2025 a Planning Inspectors refusal of Barrett homes application to build on Westbury Road with the then Mayor stating “The proposed development is not in keeping with the stylistic context or scale of the local area” and “Residents had raised concerns over sewage management, public safety, and the character of the town potentially being distorted.”
What is different about these three new sites and why is this Council pursuing these plans in isolation without the supporting infrastructure in place beforehand?
Please register and monitor the EBBRAG media sites, local news, talk to neighbours and friends, write/talk to local councillors who should be representing your views, complain if you don’t get the response you think you deserve and react when EBBRAG sends out critical information.
Thank you for listening today I hope you are as fired up as we are.
As people left the church they made donations to EBBRAG.
£211.93 in buckets; and £50 via Sum Up electronic donation.
Further donations to fighting development on Home Farm can be made via the EBBRAG website: www.ebbrag.com/donate/
