COUNCILLORS have said that Wellington needs a Northern Relief Road if plans for new housing developments keep getting given permission.

Members of Wellington Town Council were dismayed when they heard on November 4 from Chris Winter, of the West of England Developments Ltd, about a planned 200-home estate off Wardleworth Way at Tonedale.

The Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, said: “I’ve got three words to say – Northern Relief Road. If you are going to build these houses how are we going to cope with the extra traffic? We have been hoping to get a Northern Relief Road for many years.”

Cllr Mark Lithgow said he can remember 42 years ago that there was talk of a Northern Relief Road being built for Wellington, but still nothing had materialised.

Cllr Andrew Govier said he was “disappointed” at seeing planning applications coming in for housing on a “piecemeal” basis.

“The people of north Wellington will be feeling very let down by this,” he said. “Two hundred extra houses and all the cars that come with that coming up onto Milverton Road which struggles with the traffic it already has.”

Cllr John Thorne said: “We have been let down by the planners rather than the developers. The developers will always get away with what they can and if they haven’t been told to build a Northern Relief Road they won’t do it.”

Cars coming out of Wardleworth Way can either turn right down Milverton Road or head towards Wellington town centre up North Street.

And Cllr Steve Mercer said: “Several thousand car journeys added to North Street just isn’t do-able.”

Mr Winter, of the West of England Developments, added: “It’s very early days although I accept there are flaws in the plans.”

He said future housing developments in Wellington could also result in much-needed new sports pitches for the town.

Mr Winter also spoke to councillors about phase two of house building on the Longforth Farm estate including 200 homes, employment land, infrastructure to serve a new railway station and a station square.

“The station has been put on hold by the Government, but it hasn’t been cut,” he said. 

“National Rail is still confident of its business case for the station and so if it comes back to life again, we are ready to go.”

Mr Winter said planning applications for a spine road and the station square had been submitted to Somerset Council.

He said the town council could still get involved and take on the open spaces at the planned development, while the station square could see the installation of a feature involving stonework from the pyramidion – the top of Wellington Monument – which were removed and replaced with new stones as a part of a recent £3.5m renovation project.

Mr Winter said the stones from the top of the monument were on 23 pallets in the yard at the DLO site at Chelston.

Cllr Lithgow quipped: “I don’t think 23 pallets of stonework is much of a problem – the Egyptians managed it!”