OBJECTORS to a proposed housing development on the former allotments at Spitalcroft in London Road have vowed to continue their fight to retain the area as a green lung for the town.

But both Kennet District Council and Devizes Town Council have accepted that a development of up to 158 homes on the site off London Road is now inevitable following the decision of a planning inspector.

Goverment inspector Ray Hiscox published his decision this week.

He found that allowing the development would not interfere with the balance between new housing and employment opportunities, nor would it seriously affect traffic congestion in the town.

But Robert Hitchins Homes cannot start building houses until they have completed work on alternative allotment land at Windsor Drive and it has been accepted as of sufficient quality.

Andrew Hill, land and planning director for the developers, said his company was extremely pleased that the decision had gone their way, and that work would start almost immediately bringing the windswept hilltop area into use as allotments.

He said: "The soil improvement is the next phase, then landscaping the site, building windbreaks, car parking and a community building. Only once the soil has been accepted as being up to standard will work start at Spitalcroft, and that could take up to a year."

Former Royal Naval commander Alan Padwick, chairman of the Save Our Spitalcroft community action group that has opposed the scheme, said he and his colleagues were extremely disappointed that the decision had gone against them.

He said: "I thought we had a really good case. The developers' barrister came up to me at the end of the inquiry and said he had never had such a hard time from a community group.

"But it is not all over yet. Hitchins still has to carry out the work at Windsor Drive to satisfactory standard."

Brad Fleet, Kennet's director of community services, said the work at Windsor Drive will be scrutinised by an independent consultant employed by them.

Kennet officer Ed White, who gave evidence at the inquiry, is now drawing up a report for members of the planning policy executive committee who will decide whether the controversial Quakers Walk site should be removed from the local plan.