Consultation on meadow housing plans

EAST Ilsley residents were granted an insight into plans by landowner Lockinge to build 14 homes in Pen Meadow at a public consultation this week.

No planning application has been submitted yet and multiple versions of the scheme have been floated, with Lockinge making concessions to the village as a whole.

The latest plans have been scaled back to a small corner of the meadow, with the rest of the site being granted to the parish council for community use.

At the meeting on Tuesday evening, representatives from Lockinge and the parish council sought to address concerns regarding the plans, with a ‘Save Pen Meadow’ campaign attracting significant attention on Facebook.

In all, 14 homes would be built, with only two made available for private ownership – the rest being designated for social use.

The dwellings would be allocated to local people, following the identification of a housing need in East Ilsley.

Parish council chairman Mike Lewis emphasised the provisional nature of the scheme, with no developer yet identified.

He said Lockinge – being a charitable enterprise dedicated to social and affordable housebuilding – will not act as a private landlord.

Mr Lewis added: “This is not a planning application for Pen Meadow – this is a suggestion being put forward.

“If it gets sponsorship from the village, it then will become a planning application.

“What Lockinge have asked is for the council and the village to review the proposal, and, if we deem it to be appropriate for the village, and it gets enough support, then that would turn into a design and a planning application.”