Biagio Vitale, former owner of The Rock nightclub in Cirencester and operator of Studio in Swindon’s Old Town, has been granted planning permission to develop 70 holiday lodges and a nature park on 23 hectares of farmland near Ashton Keynes.
The approval, granted by a planning inspector, follows an appeal after Wiltshire Council failed to reach a decision on the application. The proposed site lies south of Spine Road East in the Clayhill area of the South Cerney Water Park, currently home to a paintball centre, forest school, and falconry centre.
Wiltshire Council had intended to oppose the plans due to concerns about the site’s proximity to the North Meadow Special Area of Conservation, which supports internationally important populations of Snake’s-head Fritillary flowers, and the potential impact on endangered great crested newts. Additionally, both the council and Historic England raised worries about possible harm to Halls Close, a 12th-century fortification also known as Ashton Keynes Castle.
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Community response was largely critical, with Ashton Keynes Parish Council objecting and only four of 138 public consultations expressing support.
Despite these concerns, the planning inspector concluded that the developer’s commitment to establishing a buffer zone would mitigate risks to North Meadow and local waterbird breeding sites. The inspector also accepted evidence that existing ponds containing predatory fish were unsuitable for great crested newts and that the creation of ten new ponds as part of the development could enhance amphibian habitats. The risk to Ashton Keynes Castle was deemed limited.
To prevent the holiday lodges from becoming permanent residences, the permission includes a condition restricting occupancy to a maximum of six weeks.