Warminster Town Council turn down Brook Street development.

Councillors heard from Brook Street residents about their concerns for flooding in an area proposed for a new housing development.

An application had been received to build 28 homes, "economic buildings, access road and parking plus parkland in the public realm on land west of playground in Brook Street."

 Alwyn Hardy who lives in Brook Street and is curator of Warminster's Dewey Museum,  told the Council that these paddocks were almost the last area in Warminster to be recognisable as water meadows.  He explained that the furrows referred to in the application were part of the ancient drainage system and that the 1880 town map showed sluices which are now under the recreation ground.

He reminded the Council that two previous applications to build on the site had been turned down and referred to the plan as a "lot of damn nonsense". 

Other residents voiced concerns about the flooding in Fore Street, the inadequacy of the local drainage system and the problems which would be caused by increased traffic serving 28 hew homes. 

Chairing the meeting Cllr Martin Baker said this was a grazing site for horses which had always been subject to floods.  Some nearby properties had become uninsurable because of the frequent flooding.

Cllr Tony Nicklin said he found it strange that the Civic Trust had supported the plan and also that there were no counter proposals for flooding. 

The Council turned down the application as councillors were not in favour on grounds of flooding. It will now go before Wiltshire Council Planning Committee.