IS IT me or is there a smell of big fish bureaucracy concerning the proposed sale of the former school building in Dilton Marsh High Street?

The county council has applied for planning permission to convert the listed building into three residential units and once this has been granted will put it on to the open market.

Although I have personally only lived in the village for 14 months my roots go back three generations and in my time here have witnessed a great deal of new build expansion within the village and surrounding areas.

I'm not aware that there is an acute housing shortage in the area but is this totally necessary and would the county council consider donating some of the profits back into the local community? For example traffic calming at the Standerwick end of the village. Or is it intent on sucking out one of the last remaining characteristics of this beautiful village and turning it into the 'new suburb of Westbury formerly known as Dilton Marsh'?

M CROMIE

Dilton Marsh

DILTON Marsh Old Junior School in January Wiltshire County Council applied for planning permission to convert the old school into three dwellings.

No problem so far but a closer inspection of their plans shows that while one of the plans shows a possible route for the right of way over the front to join up with the church's east/west path there is not a mention of it in the description with the plans.

But wait, this time last year you will remember that the scheme to purchase the school and put some of it to community use failed because the council failed to offer an unfettered vehicular access to the rear on its own private road to the new school.

The same council, that is in existence not for its own glory but to serve you, the community, has seemingly wished and granted itself the exact right of way that it found itself unable to offer us.

Curious? Ask your county councillor Bill Braid how this can be so.

In the Wiltshire Times of January 14 wherein the application is reported, also reported is Trowbridge Town Council's intention to take over the old Town Hall from that same county council for £1 yes really with no following zeros. Beat that. Remember our old school was offered to us at £120,000. Sounds like another question for Bill.

We are not finished yet as I am told that they have "overlooked" the need to consider the legislation relating to social housing in their rush to acquire more money.

MRS J SHORT & C P R HILL

The Churchwardens