A Somerset village is set to welcome hundreds of new homes despite concerns over flooding, traffic and renewable energy.
The Wyndham Estate was granted outline planning permission in November 2021 to build up to 350 new homes on the A39 Priest Street at the western edge of Williton, along with commercial space, leisure facilities and public open space.
However, the legal agreements between the landowner and Somerset Council were not signed until late February 2024, with Tamworth-based Lovell Homes acquiring the development site and submitting revised plans in July 2024.
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Despite worries that the development could exacerbate local traffic and flooding issues and does not sufficiently utilise renewable energy, the council's planning committee west has now approved these revised plans.
The site, located north of the vital A39, was identified within the West Somerset Local Plan as one of the key sites to facilitate Williton's future housing growth.
Under the proposals, 44 per cent of the new homes will be affordable (equating to 155 properties) – significantly above the 35 per cent required by the existing Local Plan.
The new homes will range from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses, with cycle storage and electric vehicle charging points included as standard.
Access to the vehicle will solely be from Priest Street, with the commercial space situated near the main road – although current public rights of way linking the site to the village and community hospital are set to be improved.
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To tackle the problem of localised flooding, an array of "balancing ponds" will be constructed within the site, alongside new allotments at the eastern perimeter of the development.
In line with the pre-existing legal agreements associated with the site, a contribution of £200,000 will come from the developers to facilitate 1.5 kilometres of the Steam Coast Trail, with a focus on the stretch between the B3191 Five Bells junction and Doniford Road.
Additionally, there's a pledge of £500,000 to create new pedestrian and cycling links between the development and the village, as well as a supplementary £200,000 to install a new toucan crossing at Bells, enhancing safety for students attending the nearby Danesfield Church of England School.
Upgrades to local bus stops are included in the plans, with a donation of up to £500,000 earmarked to benefit the number 28 bus service connecting Minehead with Taunton and the number 15 service between Minehead and Bridgwater.
Criticisms came from Councillor Rosemary Woods, representing the Watchet and Stogursey division where the site is located, during the council's planning committee west session on Tuesday afternoon (May 20) in Taunton.
She said: "The land is very subject to flooding – you talk about the main road coming through the site, that area was always wet. I can see no reason why it won't still be wet.
"The actual water was being caught just before the A39, and then the main road was the only place where it could go, and the one place we don't want it.
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"They're putting a pond just above the main road into west Somerset – a fact the council doesn't seem to realise.
"If the B3191 is shut – which it is – the only alternative is to keep to the A39.
"This ought to be withdrawn until some of that problem goes away – and it won't go away while we have parts of my division falling into the sea."
Since January 2023, the B3191 Cleeve Hill, connecting Watchet to Blue Anchor, has been closed due to coastal erosion concerns, forcing drivers to depend on the A39 for travel past Williton towards Dunster, Minehead, and Exmoor National Park.
On May 19, the council confirmed its decision to permanently close the road until funds are secured to reroute it inland, mirroring the recent closure of Chinnock Hollow near Yeovil.
Councillor Nick O'Donnell (Rowbarton and Staplegrove) expressed his agreement with Mrs Woods' traffic worries, citing the contentious Nerrols Farms development on Taunton's northern fringe.
He commented: "In support of Rosemary, I would question the wisdom of building nearly 300 homes in Taunton where there was one ingress and egress onto a country road.
"Here we have 350 homes coming onto the A39 – I can see cars piling up waiting to get onto the main road."
Lovell Homes is currently involved in delivering two other significant developments within the former Somerset West and Taunton area. These include an 80-home project on Dene Road in Cotford St. Luke, for which revised plans were approved in April, and a 71-home development on Burges Lane in Wiveliscombe, with amended plans ratified in June 2024.
Several councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the developer's refusal to incorporate solar panels into the new homes. The developer has argued that this decision was made due to the discontinuation of the government's feed-in tariff in March 2019 and concerns about the potential negative visual impact on the local area.
Councillor Gwilym Wren, representing Upper Tone, countered this argument, stating: "The success or not of the photovoltaic cells is dependent on the orientation of the homes, which is a design question for the developer."
Councillor Dave Mansell, representing the same division, said: "There are lots of good features of this scheme, with many things we would want to see – but the energy aspects are disappointing. The developer seems to have some weird prejudices against solar panels."
Following a 2-hour discussion, , the committee opted to greenlight the proposal in a decisive 11-1 vote. Lovell Homes is expected to start work in spring 2026.