Land South Of Home Farm Close Steeple Ashton, BA14 6AH

1. 1.The proposed development is located outside the defined settlement boundary of Steeple Ashton and does not meet any of the exceptions for development in the open countryside set out within the Wiltshire Core Strategy. The proposal would therefore result in an unjustified and unsustainable form of residential development, contrary to Core Policies 1 and 2 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and the spatial strategy of the development plan. The proposal is also contrary to the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework, in particular those relating to the delivery of sustainable development. Whilst due regard is given to the Council's housing land supply deficit in the planning balance the benefits of this proposal would not outweigh all the harms.
2. 2.The proposed development, by virtue of the loss of an established hedgerow, the creation of a new access and associated engineering works, and the introduction of a two-storey dwelling and the domestication of the site (with household paraphernalia), would materially erode the rural character of this edge-of village location. The development would introduce a suburbanising form of development that fails to respond positively to its landscape context, contrary to Core Policies 51 and 57 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and the National Planning Policy Framework.
3. 3.In the absence of an ecological survey, assessment, or supporting information, it has not been demonstrated that the proposed development would avoid harm to protected species or conserve and enhance biodiversity. The proposal includes the removal of established hedgerows and lies within a sensitive bat consultation area, yet no evidence has been provided to assess the ecological purpose or value of the site and its immediate surroundings or to identify appropriate mitigation or enhancement. The proposal is therefore contrary to Core Policy 50 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and the National Planning Policy Framework.
4. 4.The site is identified as being at risk from groundwater flooding, and the application is not supported by a bespoke Flood Risk Assessment or adequate drainage strategy. As such, it has not been demonstrated that the development would be safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere. The Sequential Test has not been satisfied, and the proposal is therefore contrary to Core Policy 67 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and the National Planning Policy Framework.
5. 5.Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that safe and suitable vehicular access to the site can be achieved. In particular, no visibility splays or swept path analysis (affecting land within the control / ownership of the applicant) have been provided, and it has not been demonstrated that vehicles can safely enter, turn within, and exit the site in a forward gear. The proposal is therefore contrary to Core Policies 60 and 61 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and the National Planning Policy Framework.
6. 6.In the absence of completed legal agreement at time of determination to secure necessary developer contribution / ecological mitigation measures as required by the adopted Trowbridge and Westbury Bat Mitigation Strategy, the proposed development fails to ensure appropriate mitigation would be in place. Without such a mechanism, the local planning authority cannot be satisfied that the development would adequately mitigate the recreational pressures on nearby bat sensitive sites. The proposal is therefore contrary to Core Policy 50 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and the provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

BA14 6AH

Application type

Full planning permission

Scale / size

Small

Parish

Steeple Ashton CP

Date validated

22 April 2026

Consultation expiry

20 May 2026

Consultation end

20 May 2026

Target decision date

17 June 2026

Statutory period

56 days

Documents

18