A GROUP of residents has spoken out against a scheme to build 19 houses on the site of the Suffolk Arms at Tetbury Hill in Malmesbury.

About 20 householders from Reeds Farm and Tetbury Hill areas voiced their concerns to town and district councillor Patrick Goldstone at a special meeting on Tuesday night.

Coun Goldstone heard residents express serious concerns that Malmesbury was losing what was once a popular pub and were prepared to fight plans to build 19 homes that could be up to three storeys high on the site.

Neil Woodhams, 40, of Hanks Close, said: "Ideally we would like to see the Suffolk Arms saved but these plans submitted for housing are far too dense for this area.

"It would be much better to have bungalows there. I live near to the Suffolk Arms and the development will overlook the close. This development is just money related."

Suffolk Arms owner Lord Suffolk is currently appealing against a decision by planners at North Wiltshire District Council who unanimously rejected an application to convert the pub into houses and to build another ten homes.

Last month two applications were put in by Bristol based developers Crest Nicholson to build houses on the site.

These plans would demolish the Suffolk Arms and build 19 linked, detached, two and two-and-a-half-storey buildings with a play park on the site.

The proposals were supported at a meeting of the planning committee of the town council two weeks ago.

A split vote at the meeting meant the casting vote of chairman Coun Goldstone was needed to decide the outcome.

He supported the proposals.

He defended the council's decision saying that he acted on advice of officers who said that there was no planning objection that could be made for the plans.

He said he would be approaching developers to discuss the objections raised by locals.

At the time of going to press, nobody at Lord Suffolk's Charlton Park Estate was available to comment.