A “dreadful proposal” that will see 57 homes built on police land has been approved.

The plans for land north of Quakers Road and south of Parkfields in Devizes were given the green light after an appeal against Wiltshire Council’s decision to reject the application in February last year.

The site, which forms part of Wiltshire Police HQ, is to be sold by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner as it has not been used in years.

The plans have been heavily criticised in recent years, with Devizes councillor Judy Rose, who represents South Ward, describing the proposals as 'dreadful'.

There were fears of the loss of green space and of roads being crowded by additional traffic.

But the government inspector refuted these in the appeal decision documents.

Against the claims of overwhelming additional traffic the inspector said: “Data, included with the appeal, indicates there are currently on average 234 vehicle movements to and from Parkfields over a 24-hour period.

"For the proposed development it is estimated that there would be an additional 183 two-way movements per day.

"Those movements would be channelled, in part, through Parkfield terrace.

"The evidence indicates the road alignment of Parkfield Terrace and the total vehicle volumes would not exceed the carrying capacity thresholds for a “linked road”.

"Moreover, when spread over the course of a whole day this is not a substantial amount of activity, given the presence of the other residential properties that require access along the road.

"In the absence of any alternative study, data or evidence of the road network being unable to contain the proposed increase in vehicles accessing the site, I am satisfied that the road layout has sufficient capacity.”

On top of this the inspector added: “Interested parties have raised concerns that the parking bays created would displace green open space currently used by residents.

"The submitted drawings show that those areas are long and narrow and would remove only a small fraction of the open space areas referred to and still be accessible.

"Moreover, the proposed central landscaped area would provide new green space provision that could be used by existing residents.

"This is currently private land enclosed by fencing and cannot be accessed by those living locally.

"The proposals for this area also include additional planting that would help enhance the site’s biodiversity interests."

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “While we understood the concerns of residents and councillors, and listened intently to them, the Parkfields site has been identified for a number of years for disposal as it is not required for policing purposes.

“As responsible neighbours, we discussed our intentions extensively for over a year with local residents and stakeholders. By listening, we subsequently improved these plans following those discussions and reduced the number of homes on the site significantly.

“With all public assets, the OPCC is obliged to seek the best value for Wiltshire residents and any return on the land sale will be reinvested in vital policing services for the public."