Nice view, shame about the 700-home housing estate
Couple cottage find could be enveloped by buildings ... pity no one told them!
WHEN Cheryle Walton and Paul Jones bought their quaint country cottage, they believed they had found their dream home.
On the outskirts of a market town, set in green fields and with lovely views over farmland, it required some modernisation to make it perfect.
So having paid £310,000 for Rawlings Farm Cottage five years ago, the couple spent thousands on renovations – unaware of plans to surround their home with a huge housing estate.
Although the project for 700 homes, a school and offices on the edge of Chippenham, Wiltshire, has been in the pipeline for more than a year, they found out about it by chance only in late December while out walking their six dogs.
‘Someone we know saw us and
‘Nobody has contacted us’
said, ‘Why haven’t you been at the meetings?” and we said, “What meetings?”, said Miss Walton, 56, a regional sales manager. ‘He brought over his pack of information about it and I couldn’t believe it. It’s just soul destroying. We had no notification, nobody contacted us.’
‘We wanted to live in the middle of fields. We love being out here on our own. We worked really hard to build this life. It’s our dream home and this has happened behind our backs. They are just developing is around us and we’ve never had anyone come to us.’
The property, now worth around £500,000, adjoins Rawlings Farm, which is rented out. It, too, would also be engulfed although develop- ers say its Grade II-listed farmhouse will be preserved.
Consultants Framptons submitted an application on behalf of KBC Developments LLP to Wiltshire Council last month, seeking outline planning permission. Anyone wishing to object has until next Friday to send in their comments, with a decision due in April. Framptons says it held a public exhibition on the plans in December 2014.
It admitted Miss Walton and builder Mr Jones, 50, her partner of 17 years, should have been informed – but blamed the council. Director Peter Frampton said: ‘If that didn’t happen, I apologise. Miss Walton has sufficient time to send in her comments.’
Wiltshire Council did not write to residents until last month.
It insists Framptons should have ensured residents already knew about the plans, adding: ‘We’ve suggested the developers call Miss Walton to explain why she was not involved in the public consultation.’
If the outline application is passed, developers will submit more detailed plans for approval.