New restrictions implemented for housing development in Marlborough

The news comes after Marlborough Councillor Lisa Farrell, who grew up in social housing herself,  lifted the lid on the situation in the town, stating that housing associations are selling too many homes and using ‘bullying tactics’ on residents to do so.

Now new restrictions, proposed by Marlborough mayor, Kym-Marie Cleasby, have been imposed in light of the town's current housing crisis.

Going forward, developers will only be supported by the town council if their plans meet the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan requirement of 40 per cent affordable homes in new developments with more than 10 properties.

READ MORE: Housing associations slammed for selling off Wiltshire homes

The cost of buying a house in Marlborough is almost double the national average (Image: Getty)

Currently, the average house price in Marlborough according to RightMove is £462,072, almost twice the national average and a two per cent rise since 2021.

According to mayor Cleasby, this new restriction is essential if the town council are going to take action on the 'housing emergency' that it declared in 2023.

"Marlborough Town Council recognised that a lot of residents can no longer afford to rent, let alone buy homes in Marlborough due to the scarcity of available properties and extortionate prices," said the mayor.

"The council therefore declared a housing emergency in Marlborough which was carried unanimously.

"Subsequently, I put forward a proposal that any development would not be supported by the council if they don’t support the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan requirement to contribute to the need for more affordable homes.

"While we recognised that this stance may not have legal authority, we believed it was crucial to publicly advocate for our residents and clearly express our concerns."

Marlborough declared a housing emergency in 2023 (Image: Newsquest)

Wiltshire Council has already approved a motion demanding better standards from Aster Group and GreenSquareAccord, who were both reported as removing residents from properties that were then put for sale on open markets.

A spokesperson for Aster Group previously added: “In a very small number of cases, we will sometimes sell an unsustainable property.

“We support any customer affected by this throughout the process, providing them with suitable alternative accommodation and assistance moving to their new home.”

A spokesperson for GreenSquareAccord also previously explained: “In some instances, the cost of investing to bring a property up to the required standards cannot be justified and, in those cases, the responsible decision is to sell that property.

“When this happens we provide tailored support and compensation for impacted customers and help them to move on to suitable alternative accommodation.”

Marlborough Town Council does not have the power to completely refuse planning applications, but it can either endorse or make objections to applications and this is taken into consideration by Wiltshire Council when a final decision is made.

“Without the support of my parents there is absolutely no way I would have been able to stay in the town that my family have been in for generations," said former mayor Mark Cooper, who was one of the first to call on the council to declare a housing emergency.

“It’s really important that those Marlburians, who have family links to this town, who’ve been to school in this town, who care about this town, who want to stay in this town, have the opportunity to do just that.”

Aster and GreenSquareAccord has been contacted for an updated comment.