CAMPAIGNERS have won the first round of a battle to stop 23 homes being built in the pretty hamlet of Slaughterford, but the fight continues as villagers and conservationists prepare for another planning appeal.

Members of North Wiltshire District Council's development control committee voted unanimously on Wednesday last week to reject the plans, submitted by Countryside Residential (Southwest) Ltd.

The developers submitted two applications to build on the former Dowding paper mill site the first for 14 new homes and the second for nine houses.

But protesters turned out in force at the meeting to speak out against the plans.

After the meeting Slaughterford Action Group member, Alison Butler, said she was pleased with the outcome but was not surprised because she believed the application was against local and national planning guidelines.

She said: "This should send a strong message to the developers. This village has been under siege for about nine years. It is a large company and we are a small hamlet. How many applications will be enough?

"This comes down to corporate bullying. I hope they will come to their senses and put an end to this."

She said the development would totally annihilate the landscape and biodiversity, leaving in its wake a stretch of sterile parkland.

She said she supported the current use of the site by Carpenter Oak, a firm of builders using wood.

The developer's first plan proposed to create a village-style scheme with 12 individually designed houses in a street pattern, a new water treatment sub station and a folly-like tower at Germains Lane to house bats found in the area.

The second plan proposed a mill scheme with seven buildings concentrated into a smaller portion of the site, with a pond area to help with flood prevention. Mill style features are included in the design.

But residents, conservationists, planning officers and councillors were not convinced by either of the new schemes.

Some 386 letters of objection were sent to the district council. A discussion day held in Biddestone in November raised many points against the new plans, including fears for road safety, the loss of trees and damage to the local countryside and wildlife.

The county highways authority also recommended refusal because of the poor road network around the village and the site's remote location.

Slaughterford Action Group member Stephen Todd said the village needed help and protection and urged councillors to put together a strong case when the plans went to appeal.

"We know from bitter experience when the case goes to appeal we need to fight Countryside Residential on every front," he said.

Coun Doreen Darby said: "The developers have made a decision on purely personal grounds and do not seem willing to take no for an answer.

"We have to put up with the work and expense and anxiety of fighting off repeated applications.

"If they are allowed it would spoil the quality that makes Slaughterford unique."

She was supported by Coun Jane Scott, who said: "It is incredible how special people think this place is."

The committee refused permission for both schemes on the grounds that it was against local and structure plan guidelines, being outside the physical limits of the village, for its location in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and because the location was not sustainable because of its remoteness.

A spokesman for the developers said: "We will be considering whether to appeal very carefully and will be taking advice. We will make a decision early in the New Year."