SOMERSET Council has “curled up and died” in the face of a developer’s legal challenge over new homes near the M5 on the edge of Wellington.
Gladman Developments put forward plans in October 2023 for 315 new homes and a convenience store on Exeter Road in Rockwell Green.
After Somerset Council failed to come to a decision after more than a year, the Congleton-based developer has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, with a public inquiry getting under way on this morning (Tuesday, March 11).
But on the day of the inquiry, the council confirmed it would not be defending the appeal – meaning the homes will almost certainly get the go-ahead.
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The site lies on the northern edge of Exeter Road, directly opposite the Monument View housing development (which is currently being constructed by Bovis Homes and Linden Homes) and a proposed 72-bed care home.
The new homes will be accessed from a new junction near the entrance to Monument View, with the new homes wrapping around the Pitt Farm Park Homes site to the east.
A new convenience store to serve the new homes will be provided near Exeter Road, with existing footpaths running through the site being enhanced to provide a link to other village services via the Dobree Park estate.
The new development lies within easy reach of the A38, which runs along the southern border of both Rockwell Green and Wellington, providing connections to junctions 26 and 27 of the M5.
Of the 315 homes planned for the site (ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses), 25 per cent are expected to be affordable – the equivalent of 79 properties.
If permission is secured, Gladman will provide nearly £3m towards local education – comprising just over £719,000 for nursery and early years provision, nearly £805,500 for primary school places, almost £1.3m for secondary school place and almost £147,000 for special needs provision.
Nearly £188,000 will also be provided towards improving local health services, which will be used to enhance or expand either Wellington Medical Centre or the Luson Surgery (which NHS bosses in Somerset have identified as needing to expand since 2020).
Richard Kimblin KC, representing Gladman, addressed planning inspector Philip Mayor arguing that the benefits provided by the new homes outweighed any harm the development may cause.
He said: “The main parties agree that the council cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.
“The council’s principle planning liaison officer responded to the application that the site is suitably positioned in proximity to local services and access to wider settlements such as Exeter, Taunton and Bristol via the M5.
“There are no highways safety matters which would make this unattractive. There is a good range of day-to-day facilities meeting most needs within walking distance, and bus stops are located close to the site.
“It is agreed between many parties that the proposal will not give rise to flood risk, either within the site or elsewhere.”
The site lies within the River Tone catchment area, meaning that Gladman must provide additional phosphate mitigation to prevent further damage to the Somerset Levels and Moors following the Dutch N court ruling.
To achieve this, the existing farmland will be taken out of production when the first phase (comprising 150 homes) is delivered.
The remaining 165 homes will be offset by Wessex Water’s intended upgrade to its Wellington waste water treatment plant – which will be completed by April 1, 2030.
Garry Grant KC, the council’s appointed barrister, confirmed that the council would not be defending the appeal, stating it would have approved the plans if it had been given more time.
He said: “We are agreed on the merits of the proposals. We will accept that, with appropriately worded conditions, the appeal should be allowed.
“We cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. While there is conflict with the development plan as a whole, the harms of the development do not outweigh the benefits.
“We understand that, for many in the local community, this will be a disappointing view.”
Numerous local residents expressed dismay at the situation, arguing that the council had failed to properly represent their views and had needlessly fallen on its sword.
Debra Hunt said: “I feel my voice has been ignored. I spent a long time putting in my thoughts to the council and nobody responded.
“I am so disappointed in how I am represented – you failed me and the residents that live nearby.
“The majority of days, I can walk around the land quite easily, but sometimes when the rainfall is higher, I cannot walk certain areas because the rain has created more than a stream – it comes not just above my wellingtons, but above my knees.
“I recently waited four weeks for a doctors’ appointment and had to go to a private dentist for a filling at a cost of £200 – with an extra 315 houses, these waits are going to get longer. How is this in my best interest?”
Sandy James – whose property near the site was flooded in 2012 and 2023 – concurred: “Flooding is not going away – a lot of people are against any future development until quite a few things are sorted out.
“The fields at the bottom of the Blackdown Hills act like sponges which have soaked up water for hundreds of years. You build on those fields and those sponges are gone.
“If you want to build in Wellington, go and build on the Fox’s Mill site – a brownfield site that could house a couple of hundred families and has funding allocated to clear the site.
“We need affordable housing in Wellington – the £400,000 to £600,000 houses at Monument View are not selling because people cannot afford them.”
The Fox’s Mill site (also known as Tonedale Mill) will be regenerated alongside the neighbouring Tone Works site through a £19.7m grant from the previous government’s levelling up fund.
Somerset Council has included the Tonedale funding within its latest capital programme, but the bulk of the money is allocated for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years.
Mrs James continued: “Wellington’s schools are full – where are all these children going to go to school? Taunton’s schools are already saturated with all their new housing – this cannot go on.
“I met a lady last week who lives on Monument View and wishes they’d never moved there from Bristol. Her new house is falling apart and her garden is a bog.
“Somerset Council, I’m sorry you’re broke – you shouldn’t have invested your money in Icelandic banks. But you’re not going to get your money back by approving all these houses.”
Councillor Janet Lloyd, the current mayor of Wellington, said that Exeter Road was not a safe route into the town, citing “caustic” comments from Active Travel England.
She elaborated: “Exeter Road is know locally as ‘the killer road’ because there are so many incidents on there.
“The police do not patrol it – twice in the last few weeks when I’ve been doing the speed limit, I’ve been overtaken by vehicles.
“The bus stops are not close – if you live at the back of this development, you’ve got to walk ten minutes to Exeter Road and then down the hill.
“Where are these people going to get a job in Wellington? They will be needing to commute.
“These homes will be going ahead because Somerset Council has curled up and died on this application.”
Mr Major will carry out a site visit once the inquiry has concluded, with his final decision expected to be published on the Planning Inspectorate’s official website by the early-summer.