Decision on 560 M5 homes pushed back

Lance Alec Rainey House and Hannick Homes Developments Ltd. applied jointly in May 2021 to build 560 homes on Dunwear Lane in Bridgwater, on the eastern edge of the town and a short distance from the motorway.

Sedgemoor District Council’s development committee met in Bridgwater on Tuesday morning (November 15).

After two hours, councillors voted unanimously to defer a decision until more information about the impact of the development had been made available.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Why are homes being planned for here?

The land east of Bower Lane and Dunwear Lane (dubbed the ‘East Bridgwater’ site) is identified for future housing growth within the council’s Local Plan, which runs until 2032.

The land was originally expected to deliver around 1,200 new homes, along with a primary school, community hall, retail units and a new spine road linking the A39 Bath Road with the A372 Westonzoyland Road via a new roundabout.

The northernmost part of the site has already been developed, with Somerset County Council delivering the new £23m Polden Bower specialist school in June 2021.

At the southern end of Bower Lane, Countryside Partnerships and LiveWest have begun construction of 260 new homes, the first of which will be available to the public by the end of 2023.

This development will include the new roundabout on the A372 (delivered jointly with the new homes planned to the south) and the first stage of the spine road, allowing Bower Lane to be reduced to a more cycle-friendly route.

The rest of the spine road is expected to be delivered by Edward Ware Homes, which has teased proposals for a further 750 homes on Bower Lane, along with a new primary school.

If the Dunwear Lane site is approved, the number of homes delivered across the East Bridgwater allocation will be 1,570 – more than 30 per cent above the level which was initially anticipated.

What is proposed for the Dunwear Lane site?

The Dunwear Lane developers have put forward outline plans for up to 560 new homes – meaning the figure may reduce slightly when a further reserved matters application comes forward.

Due to viability issues surrounding the site (including the cost of delivering the new roundabout), the developers are only proposing that ten per cent of the new homes will be affordable – far below the district council’s 30 per cent target for any new development of ten homes or more.

Additionally, the council will not be able to charge the full amount of community infrastructure levy (CIL) on the site, meaning there will be less money for projects in Bridgwater and the surrounding parishes.

To compensate for this, the developers have pledged to provide more than £3m for the new primary school planned to the north, as well as £700,000 towards the upgrade of the Dunball roundabout (which has also attracted money from the government’s levelling up fund, and could get under way in early-2023).

In addition, more than £883,000 will be provided for off-site road improvements (including better pedestrian and cycling routes locally), and £600,000 will be given for play areas and green open space within the site.

Originally, the residents would access the new roundabout (which could begin construction in early-2023). directly from a T-junction on Dunwear Lane.

However, this has been altered following feedback from the county council’s highways department, with a new spine road running through the site from the roundabout.

Finally, a new acoustic bund will be constructed along the eastern edge to reduce the noise coming from the M5 motorway.

What do the public think?

Dozens of protesters lined up outside the Canalside conference venue on Marsh Lane on Tuesday morning (November 15), carrying banners which read “no to over-development” and “no to slums on the flood plain”.

During the meeting itself, Paul Herbert criticised the decision to allow additional housing in this area as “top-down policy” and attacked the lack of any real improvements to the local road network.

He said: “Highways says there is no major issue with the traffic from these developments – just a tweak here and there. Bridgwater residents would argue against that – it’s mayhem between 8am and 4pm.”

“Taunton gets highways infrastructure, new railway stations [nearby] and the park and ride – Bridgwater gets nothing.

“With the dying embers of this local authority, be remembered. Refuse this application and tell them to deliver something acceptable for the people of Bridgwater.”

Liz Browne, who sits on Bridgwater Without Parish Council, said there had been “insufficient consultation” with local residents and questioned the need to build more homes on agricultural land.

She said: “Where is the local need for these houses? When will enough be enough?

“Over 1,000 new houses could be delivered within existing developments, mostly on brownfield sites.

“The minimal buffer surrounding this development means that nature is again being squeezed. This high-density development provided far too little green open space, which is so vital for residents.

“There is no sense of community within this design. People will still have to drive to access local services.”

Mick Lerry, who sits on Bridgwater Town Council, added: “This plan will only lead to an increase in emissions. We’ve lost the bus service on the east side of Bridgwater.

“There is a lack of healthcare provision on the east side of Bridgwater, especially with the loss of Victoria Park.”

Victoria Park Medical Centre closed its doors in August 2021 due to lack of staff – and while the facility has since reopened as a ‘health hub’, it does not offer GP services, meaning residents have to travel further afield to see a doctor.

What did district councillors say?

The majority of development committee members shared residents’ concerns, arguing the new homes would put a strain on existing health services, add to traffic problems and lead to more pollution.

Councillor Anthony Betty – whose King’s Isle ward includes the site – said: “We’re going into a cost of living crisis. We’re going to need more affordable homes for people to live in.

“When we’re dealing with planning, we shouldn’t worry about how much money developers are making.”

Councillor Liz Perry – who represents the same ward – added: “We’ve got existing businesses on Plum Lane using articulated lorries, those coming in on the A372 – and now this development with two cars per household, all using the same junction.

“I can’t understand why county highways has got no problem with it.”

Councillor Alex Glassford – whose Bridgwater Fairfax ward borders the site – said that the proposed bund would not protect households from either noise or any increase in pollution.

He said: “I can’t see the bund overcoming the noise [from the #M5], and there’ll be pollution problems when it comes to a standstill. Our health facilities are struggling, and this is just going to pile on the pressure.

“Westonzoyland Road is chock-a-block in the mornings and this is only going to make it worse.”

Councillor Mike Murphy agreed: “Trying to get an extra 50 houses into this site has resulted in pushing the houses more and more towards the motorway, which is the most unacceptable place they can be. This is about human lives.

“Acoustic fences are often laughable today. If you drive through Poland, you see polycarbonate fences which are 30 feet high, protecting houses from noise and fumes coming from their motorways.

“We are seeing something here which has not been well thought out.”

Councillor Alistair Hendry, by contrast, dismissed many of the traffic concerns as “null and void”, arguing: “These cars don’t all congregate at the same junction at any one time – some work, some don’t, some do the school run, some don’t.”

What happens next?

Following a two-hour debate, the committee voted unanimously to defer a decision on the plans until more information had been provided on the impact the new homes would have on local health services, the environment and the local transport network.

The length of the deferral was not specified; however, the committee’s final meeting before the new unitary Somerset Council takes control will be held in mid-March 2023.