To meet the extra housing needs of the next 20 years, an additional 11,000 to 12,500 new homes are to be built around the villages of Bratton and Edington in West Wiltshire.  The population of the new town will rise to approximately 30,000 by 2026, so making it comparable in size with Trowbridge today.

Access to Bent, as the new town will be called, was to be off the Westbury Bypass (which Wiltshire Council dreams of still).  A flying junction just below White Horse Hill will lead to a 3 mile access road running along the valley to the north of Salisbury Plain.  Terraced houses on the edge of the plain will allow maximum housing density to be achieved, while simultaneously giving new residents spectacular views across the valley of the Avon and towards Pewsey Vale.

Rail access will be at nearby Westbury station, although, if population growth exceeds expectations, it is possible that the Department for Transport could approve the re-opening of the railway station at Edington, with a limited London commuter service from 2021.  This would need financial support from Wiltshire Council.

Schooling for primary-age children will be in the new town, with secondary children travelling by bus to their parents' choice of Melksham, Trowbridge or Warminster etc.  Medical facilities are already available nearby in major hospitals at Bath, Salisbury and Swindon.  A doctors' surgery will be included in the plans for Bent.  Shopping facilities are available at Trowbridge, to be supplemented by a convenience store, a hairdresser and a selection of take-aways in Bent itself.  Jobs will be at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Warminster.  It is anticipated that there will be little new employment offered in Bent, as the locality is not historically one of high employment.  Major factory units may not be acceptable to the local population.

In 1821, one in every 100 peple in Wiltshire lived in the Bratton and Edington area, but by 2001 this had dropped to just one in 350.  These proposals for Bent will help to restore the historic balance (and more...) and put Bratton and Edington back on the map!

This is a speculative proposal, a posting from the Save the Train forum, without foundation in fact - or is it?   Regional Spatial Strategy was calling for the number of additional homes suggested to be built within West Wiltshire, excluding Trowbridge, and options such as the one outlined must be the sort of thing to be considered - if not at Bratton and Edington, then elsewhere in the area.  Road & rail transport, schools, hospital, employment and building plans suggested are based on current practice.

Here is a link to the original and brilliant article.