MORE than 1,000 objections have been sent in by residents unhappy about proposals in the replacement Kennet District Local Plan.

The Local Plan covers the period up to 2011. It sets out where housing should be built and also allocates sites for employment and other uses.

After public consultation, Kennet District Council has received 1,312 objections and 284 letters of support. The previous Local Plan prompted 850 objections and 127 representations of support.

Housing proved the most contentious subject, accounting for more than half the total objections.

The council hoped its sub-committee would consider all the objections to the Local Plan at one meeting, but the volume of objections has forced it to dedicate one meeting solely for housing. The first session will be today at Browfort, Devizes.

Objections to the rest of the Local Plan will be discussed at a meeting in January.

Brad Fleet, planning services manager at the district council, said: "We were quite surprised at the number of representations.

"We had quite a lot last time, but we had a huge public participation programme this time in an attempt to get some sort of consensus and hopefully overcome a lot of objections. But that has backfired somewhat.

"A lot more people have become aware of the Local Plan."

Many objections have been made to proposals to build most new houses in Devizes rather than spread housing around the Kennet district.

A total of 755 houses are planned for Devizes on top of 400 houses already in the pipeline, but Kennet planning officers are not recommending any changes in the numbers of houses or sites proposed.

The only variation planning officers are recommending is at the Quakers Walk site in Devizes, which received the most objections with 93.

A total of 300 houses together with a new primary school was planned to be built on greenfield land at Quakers Walk and part of Wiltshire Police's land at its headquarters at London Road.

But after an objection from the police planners are now recommending the 300 houses and school be built entirely on the Quakers Walk fields.

After Quakers Walk, the second most controversial site was Chopping Knife Lane, Marlborough, where it is planned to build 150 houses on the school site.

A total of 29 objections against this proposal was received but no changes are recommended by planning officers.

Following objections by Wiltshire County Council, planners are recommending the proposed site for a replacement primary school at Collingbourne Ducis is changed from south of Gilberts Piece to be next to the village hall.

It is also recommended leisure, recreational, retail and employment use be considered at the Northgate, Wharf and Devizes Hospital sites along with the 150 houses proposed.