CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 10 houses and a car park in Wotton-under-Edge have taken a step closer after an application for the scheme was submitted to the council.

Colburn Homes has given its plans for the homes and a 96-space car park with two coach bays, on land behind Wotton Fire Station in Symn Lane, to Stroud District Council.

The plans divide opinion in Wotton, with the Save Symn Lane action group against the scheme and the chamber of commerce in favour.

Member Lucy Chandler said: “Wotton’s being sold a dodgy deal – the idea of tying permission for ruining our green space simply by offering a literally out-of-town car park is pretty cunning.

"It’s nothing more than a way for the developer to make money with no realistic gain for the town.”

But Wotton-under-Edge’s Chamber of Trade and Commerce says the car park would be worth £750,000 and “vital” to the local economy as more people would visit the town.

Chairman Alex Wilkinson, who is also a town councillor, said the development would be a “shot in the arm” for the town and that “everyone would be a winner” if it went ahead.

The main points of opposition include the increased traffic to a narrow and busy road, construction in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and a lack of affordable housing.

Also, the plans include an ‘agricultural access route’ to the fields beyond the site, which the action group fear will pave the way for further development in the area.

“It’s literally an open door for further homes closing the gap between Wotton and Kingswood,” said Lucy.

After town councillors voted unanimously against plans to build 25 homes at Holywell Farm in December last year, the Symn Lane group is calling for the same support.

Lucy said: “How do you attract people to your town when their first views will be a wall of ugly development and a sea of tarmac?”

The chamber of commerce assisted Colburn Homes with the application and, if approved, the car park will be gifted to the town council.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “The chamber campaigns for the health of our town’s business community and we are constantly looking at new ideas to bring more people into the town, and this car park could solve so many issues for us.”

Gareth Kitchen, owner of Cookability and a former town councillor, agreed.

“If Wotton is to survive as a working town, access to the services it has to offer must be convenient and accessible to all residents,” he said.

The chamber has put together a Q&A on the plans on its website.

Public consultation on Colburn Homes’ application is open until Thursday, February 2. It can be found on the Stroud District Council website, under planning application S.16/2895/FUL.