An application to build houses in a country park has angered residents - years after the developers promised to keep the park a public green space.

In January 2010, Wainhomes agreed to build a country park in Royal Wootton Bassett on the green space near Brynards Hill in return for planning permission.

But now they have submitted plans to build 61 homes on the land.

Residents, the town council, Network Rail and other organisations made about 600 objections to the first proposal of housing that was made in spring 2021.

Wainhomes has now submitted another set of revisions of the plans and Royal Wootton Bassett residents have until April 13 to express their thoughts about the plans.

The Royal Wootton Bassett Environmental Group, which has expressed its disagreement with these plans for several years, said on its website: "We’ve been advised that the new plans are mainly concerned with the flood calculations so it will be up to the engineers at Wessex Water, Network Rail and the Environmental Agency to challenge these."

The environmental group has also been in contact with Councillor Steve Bucknell, who agrees that Wainhomes has broken its promises about the country park.

Councillor Bucknell said: "Wainhomes entered into a legal agreement under section 106 of the planning acts, under which they are legally obliged to deliver a country park. They have reneged on that, failed to put the country park in place and instead have repeatedly tried to build housing on it.

"As a company, they have broken their promises and their legal obligations to residents of the town. I am therefore not at all surprised that residents are angry and frustrated and have lost all faith in Wainhomes."

He added: "There are numerous technical reasons why the application for 61 houses should be refused – principally related to flooding issues – and I sincerely hope that Wiltshire Council will refuse the application and defend that refusal vigorously at appeal.

"I am not against residential development – we all need a decent house to live in – but it has to be in the right place and with the right infrastructure to support it."

Cate Watson, organiser of the Royal Wootton Bassett Environmental Group, has been fighting against the plans for a number of years.

She said: "I think the situation is very simple. Residents are angry that Wainhomes has not fulfilled their legal agreement with Wiltshire Council to provide the country park as part of getting planning permission over a decade ago.

"They’ve broken their promise to the town."

Wainhomes has been contacted for a comment.