PLANS to build 750 extra homes in Melksham took a step forward on Wednesday night after district councillors formally adopted a development brief for the east of the town.
The land at Clackers Brook is now officially designated for residential development, and will include a new school.
An outline planning application has already been lodged by the East Melksham Consortium. If this is granted, building would take place in three phases and the first residents could move in by Easter 2006.
West Wiltshire District Council's cabinet adopted the brief after adding some minor alterations following a two-month public consultation. These included a sentence stressing the need for the primary school, which could have as many as 13 classrooms to accommodate the relocation of Forest and Sandridge Primary School, to have an element of community use. The brief also says the development will include a local centre with a community hall and facilities such as a children's nursery, pub, GP and dentist.
On Wednesday concerns resurfaced about a possible eastern Melksham bypass, but the council's planning policy manager Mark Russell confirmed the land was only earmarked as a contingency.
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