RESIDENTS have won their battle against a planned nursing home in Westbury but still want the site to be developed.

Developer CCMS Ltd hoped to build the 30-bedroom nursing home, care centre and private leisure facility plus 52 flats at the Coalyard in Bratton Road.

The site is largely overgrown, but includes an unlisted 200-year-old barn.

Residents welcome re-development, but said the proposed design was out of character with the conservation area.

Access is already a problem in this part of Westbury, and residents said unless the plans were revised, there would be greater congestion problems in Church Street, Chantry Lane and Bratton Road. The county council, as the highway authority, agreed that the existing road network could not cater for the development and said there would not be enough parking spaces for residents, visitors and staff.

Other complaints included too few drains, the resulting devaluation of surrounding properties and the unnecessary demolition of walls and garages.

Resident Alan Hunt said: "Church Street is the centre of the conservation area. I do believe a nursing home is an appropriate suggestion for the site, but despite this support I think the present plans would be massive over development.

"It would be an ugly building and its balconies would overlook gardens. I ask for the plans to be revised, and we would all like to work with the developer, but so far it has made no effort to do this."

Councillors turned down the plans at the West Wiltshire District Council's southern area committee meeting last week and want English Heritage to protect the ancient barn.

Cllr Gordon King said: "The residents are right, as it would be massive overdevelopment in an area that is hard to develop because of the access issues involved.

"The area is right for development. The message isn't all negative, the developer should go away and think about it and bring the idea back in a more acceptable form."