LANDOWNERS, local services, and the town council have responded to concerns over the plan to build 2,000 new homes near the Gravity gigafactory in Woolavington.
It was revealed in January that multiple landowners plan to use a 200-acre section of farmland to the north of Burnham-on-Sea to provide over 2,000 new homes, as well as a primary school, green spaces, infrastructure, and improved flood defences.
The planned site of the town expansion is located just six miles from the planned electric vehicle battery gigafactory in Woolavington, known as Gravity, which could create over 7,500 new jobs, according to the Salamanca Group which acquired the former Huntspill Energy Park site in 2017.
Many residents in Burnham-on-Sea and surrounding areas have become worried at the potential impact the proposed development could have on local infrastructure, and speculation has been caused by a lack of concrete plans provided by the developers.
One local pointed out that - even with the planned construction of a new road to the development which would also serve as a local bypass - if each of the 2,000 planned homes had two cars, an extra 4,000 vehicles would be on the roads.
"It’s got to go from Stoddens Road to Brent Road which is not suitable," they said.
"The road infrastructure, I just don’t know how it’s going to cope.”
The landowners have not yet given details of the size of the proposed dwellings, but with an average of three people per household, the development could see Burnham-on-Sea's population increase by around 36%, based on data from the 2021 census.
The possible surge in local population growth sparked concerns regarding potential impact on already stretched local services, such as Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre, and other healthcare providers.
“The current populous of Burnham cannot get to see a doctor - so what are we going to do with another 4,000 to 6,000 people?" a local said.
On behalf of Burnham and Berrow Medical Centre (run by Symphony Healthcare) an NHS Somerset spokesperson said they will submit a formal response once a planning application is submitted by the landowners if they feel it will negatively impact their services.
“Once any planning application is received, we consider how any planned population growth is likely to impact on the capacity of our nearby GP practices," the spokesperson said.
"If it’s likely to impact on neighbouring GPs, we can look at submitting a formal response to the application for planning contributions to help us manage this growth.”
The proposed site sits on an area of agricultural land, home to an abundance of wildlife and nature which those living in immediately nearby areas such as Oaktree Close, reportedly often like to sit and take in during their spare time.
“The impact on ecology, nature, flooding – it just to me feels like the wrong place," a local resident said.
“It is going to be a massive impact on people during and after the process.”
Confusion was also caused by the proposal of a new primary school in the development, with several already available in the area.
Some residents to the town are concerned about the possibility of being blindsided by a last minute public consultation from the developers, and one has gone as far as to set up an email inbox where locals can send their thoughts on the plans.
"I want to create an unbiased understanding of the community," they said.
“I want to make the best representation for my town that I can."
Those interested in submitting their thoughts, whether in support or objection of the development, can email burnham-residents-group@outlook.com.
The group of 12 landowners represented by Taunton-based agents Greenslade Taylor Hunt, selected Barratt Bristol to bring forward their long term plans.
Although the housebuilder pledged to be 'committed to working with local residents, businesses and groups in the years to come', members of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council are yet to be consulted.
A spokesperson for the town council said: "The town council have yet to see any plans for the development.
"A meeting with the developers will be arranged to find out more information about their proposals."
Barratt Homes said that new housing will not be built until 'several years' time, and added that 'it would be wrong' to share details on the size of the planned homes at this stage.
However, the housebuilder wants to 'get this right', and will be sharing their first thoughts on the development's appearance in the near future.
They also affirmed they remain 'keen' to talk to the community in regards to the proposals.
A spokesperson for Barratt Homes said: “In partnership with the local landowners of the site, we recently stated our intentions to bring forward plans for around 2,000 homes to the north of Burnham along with a new link road and other vital infrastructure.
"These plans represent a significant investment in Burnham and we want to get this right, that means stating our intentions and getting people involved early on.
“We believe that a housing led development in this area would make a terrific contribution to Somerset Council’s emerging Local Plan, providing high-quality homes in the future.
"The council’s new Local Plan will not be approved for some time, and it will be several years before any new housing is built.
"It would therefore be wrong at this stage to talk in any detail about housing numbers, or the mix and size of homes.
"We will share our first thoughts on how the development could look over the next few months.
“We have tentatively suggested that a housing scheme of this scale would typically require a new primary school.
"We are aware though that in many parts of Somerset, school roles are falling and the council recently agreed that the planned school at Brue Farm is not likely to be required.
"We will be looking in detail at education requirements and the need for health facilities etc as we move forward.
“We are keen to talk to the community to understand what they want to see considered given our proposals are very much in their infancy at the moment.
"We are currently carrying out surveys on matters such as ecology, drainage and flood risk to ensure that these are taken into account from the very beginning of the project.”
Wells MP James Heappey did not respond to a request for comment.
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