WELLINGTON Town Council could look to employ lawyers in a battle to stop an unwanted housing development from going ahead.
The council’s monthly meeting on Monday (March 3) saw a large turnout of concerned people who had been contacted by developers LVA about a possible plan to build 250 homes on land beneath the Wellington Monument, off Oldway Road on the A38.
Cllr Justin Cole said the developers will no doubt have lawyers working on their behalf when going through the planning process.
“Perhaps we (the town council) need to look at getting our own lawyers although it would mean spending council taxpayers’ money on supporting this,” he said.
Cllr Cole suggested they should work with lawyers who have a proven track record of fighting controversial planning applications.
Residents had the chance to have their say on the possible development and Mike Sampson summed-up the general consensus of opinion that Wellington just cannot cope with large-scale housing projects.
“I agree that homes need to be built and people need somewhere to live, but infrastructure is key,” he said.
“But not a lot has changed in Wellington over the years with infrastructure. With this application there will be a lot of cars coming out onto a road that hasn’t changed for 50 years.
“Getting a new pharmacy in Wellington is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to the infrastructure that is needed in the town.
“Having more people in Wellington isn’t a bad thing as long as the infrastructure is there.”
Another resident, Sandra James, who was flooded out in 2023, added: “We do need more houses, but we need to look at where they are built.”
The Mayor of Wellington, Cllr Janet Lloyd, said that when previous proposals for the site put forward by Pegasus in March 2023 around 20 people attended a town council meeting.
“So the fact we had around 90 this time shows how strongly people feel about this proposal and how it is being handled,” she told the WWN after the meeting.
“A show of hands showed that everyone present opposes the proposed development for a range of reasons including already inadequate public infrastructure and concerns about flooding.
“Just as important is the fact that the A38 has always been seen as the natural boundary for the town, and this was confirmed when Somerset West and Taunton published the Wellington Place Plan in March 2023. If this proposal is agreed it will be the thin end of the wedge and the end of the green space between the A38 and the M5.”
Cllr Lloyd said councillors intend to respond to the LVA consultation at the council’s policy and finance committee meeting on Monday (March 10) at 6pm.
“That said given the mood of the meeting on Monday I have no doubt that the town council will be looking to work with our community and Wellington Without Parish Council, where the site is located, and its community to oppose these proposals,” she said.