What is proposed?
Coulston Estates is proposing to build 260 new family and affordable homes at Elm Grove, Trowbridge. Informed by the adopted Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations Plan, the proposed development will offer a range of housing types, as well as help for first time buyers with homes available to buy through the Government's Help to Buy Scheme.
The proposed development also includes plans to deliver enlarged and enhanced public sports and recreation facilities. This will include improvements to the currently underutilised and poorly-drained facilities at Elm Grove recreation ground, protecting and enhancing this important community resource.
As required by policy for the site, a new community hub will also be delivered to provide changing facilities for new playing fields, as well as potentially being available for community hire for meetings and small-scale community events.
Extensive areas of informal open space are also proposed to act as a wildlife corridor and buffer between the existing community and the proposed new homes.
While it had been previously to include a primary school with the development, this element was removed following the outcomes of our consultation with the local community and further work carried out by Wiltshire Council in finalising their strategic housing allocation for this site.
Why here?
The land in question at Elm Grove is allocated by Wiltshire Council for residential development in the adopted Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations Plan (WHSAP).
Prior to its adoption by Wiltshire Council, the allocation had also proposed a new two form entry primary school. Following feedback from the local community and local councillors, Wiltshire Council confirmed in February 2019 that the previously proposed primary school was no longer required due to demographic changes and additional capacity being available in existing primary schools in Trowbridge.
What stage are we at?
Coulston Estates Ltd submitted an outline planning application in 2019 to deliver a development at Elm Grove in line with Wiltshire Council's adopted allocation for the site.
We carried out extensive public consultation on our emerging proposals for the site in early 2019. Following that consultation exercise, a number of changes were made in response to feedback received by the community and revisions to Wiltshire Council's allocation for the site. This included the removal of a primary school from the plans.
Since submitting the planning application, we have continued to work with technical officers at Wiltshire Council, local councillors and the local MP to make revisions to the plans in response to feedback. On the back of this work, as well as feedback from residents, we have now worked up a final masterplan for the site. You can view the latest masterplan via this link.
The proposals include:
- 260 new homes, 30% of which will be affordable homes
- Help for young families to secure a new home near fantastic new facilities, with proposals to offer homes for sale via the Help to Buy Scheme
- An enhanced and larger public sports and recreation space incorporating the existing Elm Grove field, as well as landscaped wildlife corridors to provide a buffer between new and existing homes
- A new community hub to provide changing facilities for new playing fields, as well as potentially being available for community hire for meetings and small-scale community events
- A package of improvements to local infrastructure and community facilities to be agreed with Wiltshire Council
- Direct access from the A363 with a tree-lined 20mph spine road running through the site. The route of this road has been amended in response to feedback from local councillors, the local MP and residents to move it significantly further away from existing residential areas.
- Construction traffic will be able to access the site directly from the A363, removing the need for it use Wiltshire Drive and minimising the potential for disruption to existing residents.