Planning success for 25 family homes in Crudwell, Wiltshire
McLoughlin Planning is pleased to have helped secure planning permission for a thoughtfully designed residential development of 25 market and affordable homes in Crudwell, Wiltshire. The scheme will deliver more than housing. It will provide a central area of public open space, a children’s play area and substantial new planting, creating a development that is designed not merely to sit at the edge of the village, but to belong to it.
That outcome matters because good rural development is rarely the product of chance. It is usually the result of a patient process: listening early, understanding constraints properly and responding to them with care. This project is a good example of that. From the outset, the proposals were shaped by community consultation, informed by pre-application engagement and refined through proactive responses to the site’s planning, design and technical considerations. The result is a scheme that meets local policy expectations while also offering something more valuable: a positive and sustainable addition to Crudwell.
A plan-led site with local support
The site itself comes with the sort of opportunities and constraints that require a balanced approach. It comprises roughly 1.3 hectares of land at the edge of the village, within walking distance of local amenities including the primary school and village facilities. Although outside the old development boundary in the Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015), the land was later allocated for housing through the Crudwell Neighbourhood Plan, formally made by the Council in 2021. That point is important. This is not speculative development; it is plan-led growth in a location identified through the local plan-making process as suitable for new homes, including affordable homes, to meet local need.
Even so, allocation is only the beginning. Sites do not build themselves, and they certainly do not resolve their own constraints. Here, several issues required careful handling, including the site’s relationship with the surrounding village character, the retention of important boundary features, drainage and surface water considerations, and the need to ensure that the development would not negatively impact the wider landscape given its edge of settlement location and rural setting. Through pre-application discussions and ongoing technical work, the project team addressed these matters directly. The scheme evolved in a way that reflected both professional advice and local need and context.
Responding to site constraints through design
The homes are arranged to reflect the grain and informality of existing development in Crudwell, rather than adopting a standardised suburban layout. Dwellings are positioned to create clear streets and natural surveillance, while also being set back in a manner consistent with nearby properties. Existing hedgerows are retained where practicable, and the landscape strategy strengthens the site’s boundaries with new native planting. This matters aesthetically, but also practically. The softer edge created by trees, hedges and green infrastructure helps the development settle into its rural context and reinforces the verdant character that residents value.
Homes, green space and everyday value
Alongside a mix of homes that responds to local need, including affordable provision, the proposal includes a central area of public open space and an on-site children’s play area. In village developments, shared green spaces can make the difference between a scheme that is merely tolerated and one that becomes part of the community fabric. In this case, the open space forms a focal point at the frontage of the site and offers both visual relief and a usable amenity for new and existing residents alike.
Sustainable development in practice
It is also worth noting that Wiltshire cannot demonstrate a deliverable 5-year housing land supply. As such, Paragraph 11d of the NPPF comes into play and the presumption in favour of sustainable development applies.
Sustainability has been built into the project in a meaningful way. The site is in a location where day-to-day services are accessible, reducing reliance on longer car journeys. In particular, the scheme also delivers improvements to pedestrian connectivity, including the provision of off-site footway works.
In regard to the housing design and sustainable technologies, and the scheme includes measures such as electric vehicle charging, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and a drainage strategy designed to respond to surface water considerations.
A positive addition to Crudwell
Perhaps most importantly, this planning permission shows what can be achieved when development is approached as a process of problem-solving. Effective consultation helped identify the issues that mattered locally. Pre-application engagement clarified the policy and technical requirements. A responsive project team then adjusted the scheme to address them. The final result is a high-quality development of family homes in a sustainable location, with generous planting, open space and children’s play provision, that will make a positive contribution to Crudwell’s future. In short, it is the kind of growth villages need: planned, proportionate and rooted in local context.
We are delighted to have secured this outcome for our client and it was a pleasure to work with the wider project team on this scheme.
Working with McLoughlin Planning
At McLoughlin Planning, our focus is on achieving successful planning outcomes through clear, commercially aware advice. Our team of Chartered Town Planning Consultants provides strategic advice and planning solutions across England and Wales, working on projects ranging from strategic land promotion and commercial development to private residential schemes and rural diversification projects.
Following the acquisition of Plainview Planning in 2024, our Group now combines the expertise of 13 planning professionals and support staff. This collaboration enables us to deliver commercially minded, creative solutions to a wide range of planning challenges.
For larger, strategic or complex projects, such as land promotions, multi-phase developments or aviation schemes, our McLoughlin Planning team can provide specialist advice.
For householder projects, developments of 10 dwellings or fewer, or smaller independent commercial schemes, our dedicated Plainview Planning team offers tailored support.
If you have a development proposal that could benefit from expert planning consultancy input, you can explore our team via our About Us page or contact us through the Arrange a Call option on our contact page, or via the email address and telephone number provided below.
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As always, the content of this article was correct at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date advice on planning policy and development opportunities, please contact our team.
Nathan McLoughlin – Managing Director
T: 01242895008
E: nathan.mcloughlin@mplanning.co.uk
Project Team
Planning Consultants: McLoughlin Planning
Arboriculturist: Blade
Archaeology: Archaeological Research Services Ltd
Architect: BM3
Ecology: AA Environmental Limited
Flood Risk: Infrastructure Design Studio
Heritage: Orion
LVIA: Blade
Transport: CTC
Image source: BM3