Warehouse decision deferred for further surveys

A decision over whether to allow development to go ahead on a new warehouse that would create more than 275 new jobs and protect a further 600, has been deferred.

Family-run wholesaler Gompels Healthcare Ltd has applied for permission to build on the five and a half acre site near Bath Road in Melksham, Wiltshire.

But the plans have attracted opposition from local residents. About 400 people have commented on the application on Wiltshire Council's website, with the majority opposing it.

The council's planning committee decided at a meeting on Tuesday that further ecological surveys were required to consider the habitat, noise and flood risks presented by the application.

A petition signed by 45 people stated they were objecting because of the planned number of visits to the warehouse each day, while there were also concerns about road safety, particularly near Melksham Oak School.

Resident Michelle McAlinden said it would bring "more traffic and noise, and make life worse for people who live nearby".

However, a spokesperson for Gompels said the site was "the only viable option" and that the building would be "far less disruptive than a housing development".

Part of the site is within a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

In addition to the warehouse, the application also seeks permission to build offices and a parking area.

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