Developer wins appeal over ditched school site

Land originally set aside for a primary school as part of a huge development on the edge of a town could now be developed into houses.

Danescroft successfully appealed to a planning inspector against having to build the school saying there was sufficient primary education provision elsewhere in the NEV (New Eastern Villages) project near Swindon.

The NEV will consist of 8,000 homes, new schools, employment spaces and community and leisure facilities.

Danescroft already has permission to build 299 houses and so has submitted a proposal for 71 more in the area, including on the land previously marked for the school.

The application includes a 'pocket park' along with trees and green space that would separate it from any developments north of the area.

"The landscape strategy shall seek to retain existing trees and hedgerows to strengthen green infrastructure and deliver a landscape framework that supports amenity, biodiversity, and an attractive setting for future residents," it states.

Nearby Green Street would be the main connecting route between the two housing projects, the Local Democracy Reporting Service was told.

The land set aside for the school was a rectangular site just north of the Foxbridge Village centre bordered to the south by the Southern Connector road running from South Marston just north of the Commonhead Roundabout.

A decision on the application is expected after November.

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