Approval Anticipated for 180 Homes on ‘Roman Villa’ Site

A proposal for the construction of 180 residences on a parcel of land, described as concealing “the remains of a Roman Villa,” is nearing potential approval. Local inhabitants had sought to safeguard the Southwick Court Fields site, situated close to Trowbridge, Wiltshire, through an application for village green designation. Wiltshire Council’s planning committee is scheduled to cast a vote on Wednesday regarding the site’s future, although a recent report advises against granting the requested special status. Both local experts and Historic England contend that the area contains the remnants of a Roman villa complex, possessing “potential national importance.” The land development firms Waddeton Park and Savills recently prevailed in an appeal before a planning inspector, overturning the council’s prior decision to deny permission for new housing on the location. Previously, residents had collected approximately 150 signatures on a petition urging the council to officially register the area as a village green. As documented by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, their argument necessitated demonstrating that “a significant number of inhabitants” had “indulged in sports and pastime on the land for a period of at least 20 years.” Councillors subsequently appointed an independent inspector to conduct a non-statutory public inquiry, with its findings presented to the councillors during a meeting held in April. This report recommended that councillors decline the village green application, citing insufficient occurrences of “lawful sports and pastimes” on the lower portion of the land. Furthermore, the inspector had excluded the northern segment of the land from the application, as it had been incorporated into the council’s local plan, a circumstance recognized in planning law as a trigger event. Such trigger events legally prevent a local authority from accepting a town or village green application for the affected site. However, during the most recent meeting, Councillor David Vigar raised questions regarding the validity of the trigger event. Consequently, committee members consented to postpone the decision to allow for an investigation by a senior lawyer. A subsequent report, scheduled for presentation to councillors on Wednesday, verifies the presence of ongoing planning-related trigger events. This, according to the report, legally obstructs the village green registration for specific sections of the land.