The safety of the Swallow Falls site, on Rowden Lane, was a topic of dispute among residents and the applicants, after it was claimed that the land was “contaminated” due to its historic use as a brickworks in the 1800s.
Wiltshire Council’s Public Protection team found that there was “inadequate” evidence to back up the residents’ concerns.
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Proposed site layout and access plan. (Image: Charles Manning) According to the case officer, a “thorough assessment of all the available information submitted by both the applicant and the objectors” has been carried out by both the Environment Agency and the Public Protection Team.
The report states: “Comments have been raised on several occasions, predominately by two parties, in relation to the application site being contaminated land.
“The applicants contracted a specialist company who surveyed the site.
“Commentators have disputed the findings and sent several documents to be considered in regard to this issue and photographs allegedly from on the application site holding what appear to be asbestos tiles.”
It adds that the evidence provided by objectors was found to be “contradictory”, “incomplete”, and possibly referring to “an alternative location”.
An investigation organised by the applicants in the summer of 2024 also concluded that there was a “low to moderate risk” from the old sandpit.
It stated that the contamination is “highly localised to a small area of shallow made ground” and that excavating and removing this from the site during the development would “sufficiently break the identified contaminant linkage, through removal of the contamination source.”
Three of the homes will be located on the south side garden of Swallow Falls, whilst a further five will be in the field to the west, fronting onto Rowden Lane.
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The application noted: “The proposed scheme has been designed and positioned to reflect the scale, appearance and siting of the adjoining dwellings and the wider context.
“Any impact on the residential amenity of surrounding occupiers’ windows will be negligible, locating primary windows to both the front and rear with minimal openings to the side elevations.”
The case officer report concluded: “The design of the dwellings is considered to be appropriate for the principal settlement of Chippenham and the executive nature of the dwellings is acceptable to provide a good housing mixture promoting inclusive communities.
“Whilst concerns have been raised, they have been considered and there are no clear policies within the NPPF that would warrant a refusal.
“The harms are assessed to be minor and would not be considered to significantly or demonstrably outweigh the benefits of providing 8 new-build dwellings in this location.”