Primary school will not be getting 28 new homes next door
Plans to build new homes on land near a Somerset primary school have been withdrawn by the developer.
Berkeley Vale Homes Ltd. submitted plans in May 2021[1] to build homes on a brownfield site to the north of West Monkton Church of England Primary School, which opened in 2017. After these plans were withdrawn in the summer of 2021, the Bridgwater[2]-based developer submitted fresh proposals for the site in December 2021, reducing the intended number of homes to 28.
But Somerset Council[3] has now confirmed that these plans have now been abandoned as well – meaning the land will remain as a commercial operation for the time being. The site lies on the eastern side of Bridgwater Road within the Monkton Heathfield urban extension in Taunton[4], and is currently occupied by scaffolding and safety netting firm AMP Access Solutions Ltd.
The land is bordered by Pippin Road to the north and is separated from the school by trees and a cycle path. The land was originally included within the planning application for the school and surrounding homes – which was granted in 2008 and included a proviso that any homes within this area had to be built within ten years.
Since the permission lapsed in 2018, the site has remained in commercial use as other parts of the Monkton Heathfield urban extension (such as Hartnells Farm[6]) have been built out. Neither the developer nor the council has issued any formal statement identifying the reasons why the plans were withdrawn.
However, Tobias Palmer, from the council’s ecology, economy and planning team, said that the plans would have required “assessment for ecology and phosphates” before any homes could be approved. Plans for around 18,000 homes across Somerset[7] have been held up by the ongoing phosphates crisis[8], with the former Taunton Deane area[9] being especially badly affected.
Proposed site of 28 homes on Bridgwater Road in Monkton Heathfield (Image: Daniel Mumby)
Developers are having to secure additional mitigation to allow homes to be bullt within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, such as the creation of new wetlands[10] or the fallowing of nearby farmland[11]. West Monkton Parish Council had objected to the plans, warning that the development would exacerbate the existing pressure on public services.
Assistant clerk Patricia Cavill stated: “There is no evidence of biodiversity net gain for the site – rather the reverse, as plans are included to raze hedges and clear the space. Although it is noted that in this submission there has been a reduction in the number of dwellings on the site, the design remains very dense and we would wish to see more space between dwellings and closer adherence to garden town principles.
“The experience of courtyard parking provision in Monkton Heathfield is that the areas are little-used. Car owners park outside their own entrance and render the estate roads almost impassable, especially for the refuse wagon, delivery lorries and emergency services.
“The NHS[12] position regarding full surgeries at Creech St. Michael, the Crown Medical Centre and Lyngford Park is serious. The proposal for 28 dwellings will bring 28 families or single people into the parish without there being sufficient health services readily available for their needs.”
A decision on plans for phase two of the Monkton Heathfield urban extension[13] – comprising an additional 1,210 homes, commercial space, a new school and a range of other amenities – is expected to be taken in the autumn.
References
- ^ submitted plans in May 2021 (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Bridgwater (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Somerset Council (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Taunton (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Nurse says Somerset hospital staff are “fed up” as parking charges rise again (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Hartnells Farm (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Somerset (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ the ongoing phosphates crisis (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ the former Taunton Deane area (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ the creation of new wetlands (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ the fallowing of nearby farmland (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ NHS (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ phase two of the Monkton Heathfield urban extension (www.somersetlive.co.uk)