The Secretary of State has allowed an appeal by developer Catesby Estates for the proposed housing development at Snarlton Farm, east of Eastern Way, despite the site lying outside Melksham's agreed settlement boundary. The neighbourhood plan does not allocate the Snarlton Farm site for housing, and councillors argued the proposal conflicted with both the local plan and wider planning policies. Catesby Estates appealed against the refusal and, because of the scale of the development, the case was subsequently referred to the Secretary of State for a final decision. Those objecting said the development would undermine years of community-led planning through the neighbourhood plan process. In a decision letter issued on July 28, the Secretary of State acknowledged that the proposed development conflicts with the Joint Melksham Neighbourhood Plan 2 and Wiltshire Core Strategy because it falls outside the designated settlement boundary.