A TOTAL of 90 new homes will be built near the M5 in Bridgwater after revised proposals were reluctantly approved by councillors.

Hallam Land Management and Persimmon Homes Severn Valley have outline planning permission to deliver 2,000 homes between the A39 Bath Road and the Bristol to Exeter railway line in Bridgwater – along with 1,200 sq m of retail space, leisure facilities, a new primary school and other facilities.

Revised plans for 90 homes on one of the final parcels within this area (known as the North East Bridgwater allocation) came before the council’s planning committee north in Bridgwater on Tuesday afternoon (January 16).

Despite serious concerns about parking, leisure and the design of the homes, the committee voted to back the plans – though half of the committee members abstained from the decision.

The new homes will be built along the M5 to the south of the Willow Man sculpture, adjacent to a separate parcels of 77 homes on the former site of the Sydenham Barn wedding venue.

The original plans envisioned 98 homes within this parcel, but these were downgraded to 90 properties following consultation with planning officers.

The new homes will be access from existing estate roads which feed onto Kings Drive, which connects the A38 and A39 via the Willowdown Primary Academy and a development of 237 homes being delivered by Bloor Homes South West.

Mr C. Holton, who lives on Balmoral Drive (one of the streets closest to the development site), said he was concerned about the lack of green space which would be available to the newest residents, as well as the pressure of extra traffic on local roads.

Bridgwater Mercury: The new homes will be built to the south of the Willow Man sculpture.The new homes will be built to the south of the Willow Man sculpture. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

He told the committee: “I’ve lived in the area for eight years and seen it expand quite rapidly. We are continuing to build on what is left of the available green space

“This makes it more difficult for people to get out for mental well-being, exercise and activity – they will have to travel further. I have seen traffic increased markedly and the parking is poor.

“I’ve even had to reverse out onto main roads before, so if a fire engine needs to get down there in an emergency, it’s going to be difficult.

“There’s only one bus that comes down there on the hour, meaning more people will be driving to get around.

“I’ve seen these roads used as rat runs to get from one side of Bridgwater to the other, and some of them are in poor condition.

“If you go shopping in the local area, you know how bad it can be getting out of the supermarket car parks, due to the poor road designs there.”

A large bund and acoustic fence will be constructed near the motorway to reduce the noise of passing vehicles, with new trees being planted to screen the new homes from road.

Councillor Matt Martin, whose King Alfred ward includes numerous villages to the east of Bridgwater, questioned whether this would be sufficient.

He said: “We have the play area in the centre but that is only going to cater for very small children. They will grow up into teenagers – the only other place we have at the top is down the south of the site.”

People are going to be play football down there, and I’m sure we could end up with balls going onto the motorway. Has there been discussion about nets to stop that?”

Councillor Bob Filmer (Brent) added: “We’ve had an issue with bunds sinking. How are we going to ensure they remain at the height we meant them to be?

“I’m not that enamoured of the design. We haven’t got the width to play with that we have on some other sites when it comes to landscaping.”

Planning officer Adrian Noon said he was “alive to this issue” and would be having extension technical discussions with Hallam and Persimmon to ensure the bund was fit for purpose.

Councillor Gill Slocombe (Bridgwater West) added: “I always hope that we’ve learned from the past – but shared driveways cause neighbour disputes from the get-go.

“There should be a minimum amount of space we can give people rather than cramming them in.

“I don’t see anything in the recommendations about the design of the homes which gives me any confidence.”

By contrast, Councillor Alistair Hendry (Highbridge and Burnham South) spoke in favour of the plans, arguing that a refusal could result in another expensive planning inquiry.

He said: “This could be classed as an infill development. Given the planning history on this land, it would be very difficult to come up with a reason to refuse this.

“Conditions will have to be applied, but I propose we grant permission.”

Councillor Alan Bradford (North Petherton) added: “It’s a very difficult site to get right – people have got to look at it as they come in on the M5.

“This bund needs to be looked at closely. It will take 15 years for any trees planted on there to grow up and obscure things – putting mature trees there would break things up a little bit.

“We are short of houses and we face a difficult decision.”

After around two hours’ debate, the committee voted to approve the plans by six voted to one, with seven abstentions.

While there will be no direct funding from the new homes to refurbish or replace the Willow Man sculpture (which has fallen into disrepair in recent years), the council recently secured £35,000 from National Highways to look into the future of this iconic structure.

The funding will pay for an initial feasibility study, with members of the public being asked for their views on whether it should be repaired or replaced and rebuilt with more robust materials.

Jonathan Hill, National Highways’ route manager, stated in November 2023: “We’re providing initial funding to the council to support their aspirations to realise a project to restore the iconic structure alongside the M5 – a glowing example of how this funding can make life better for communities living and working near our roads.

“We hope that, by providing the funding to kick-start this project, the council will be able to explore third party funding opportunities to restore or replace this south west landmark.”

To give your views on the Willow Man’s future, visit www.somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com/communities/willow-man-feasibility-study by February 15.