New homes agreed - despite concerns over increased traffic
Kingsbury Episcopi is on the Somerset Levels between Langport and Martock.
Up to 25 new homes will be built on the northern edge of a small Somerset village after plans were approved by local councillors.
Spencer Chapman has been seeking outline permission since March 2021 to build homes north of The Avenue in Kingsbury Episcopi, which lies on the Somerset Levels between Langport and Martock.
Somerset Council’s planning committee south convened in Yeovil on August 27 to discuss the plans, nearly three-and-a-half years after the proposals first saw the light of day.
After around an hour’s debate, the committee voted to approve Mr Chapman’s plans – despite concerns about road safety.
The proposed homes will be within walking distance of the Kingsbury Episcopi Community Centre, along with the village’s recreation ground and Methodist church.
To achieve access to the new estate, a single storey extension at 18 The Avenue will be demolished to generate enough space for a legally compliant road between numbers 18 and 19.
Of the 25 homes being earmarked for the site, nine will be affordable, meeting the council’s 35 per cent target for the former South Somerset area.
The site will not provide any funding for enhancing either the village’s primary school or the nearest secondary school, Huish Episcopi Academy – with the council’s education team stating that both sites had sufficient capacity at this juncture.
The committee agreed in late-May to reduce the contribution from a new development just outside Langport by more than £770,000 after officers cited money to expand Huish Episcopi Academy was no longer needed.
Carolyn Hartley, who lives on Silver Street in the village, told the same committee on August 27 that the new plans did not take account of how many vehicles used Thorney Lane on a daily basis.
She said: “The average number of vehicles passing the junction with The Avenue is 1,000 over a 12-hour period. Many of these vehicles pass at high speeds.
“Traffic in and out of The Avenue has increased following covid as people turned to and continued to use online delivery services.
“Youngsters and other locals use The Avenue as a cut-through to the village shop, and schoolchildren and college students walk through there to get their buses.
“The Avenue was built in the 1950s, and the road is unsuitable for this project.”
The site is one of more than 50 developments in the former district which have been held up by the ongoing phosphates crisis, with developers having to secure additional mitigation to prevent any net increase in phosphates on the Somerset Levels and Moors.
To offset the new homes on The Avenue, four existing septic tanks in the area will be upgraded – with Wessex Water expected to provide further mitigation by upgrading its Martock waste water treatment plant by the end of the year.
Mike Norton spoke in favour of the plans, arguing: “Every village in the area needs to have their share of new housing being built.
“There is a housing shortage in this area, and it will be a benefit to the local community, boosting the local shop and the pub which recently reopened.
“I think people moving into this village will be well looked after. There are only positives to come out of this proposal.”
Councillor Mike Stanton (whose Curry Rivel and Langport division includes the site) said: “This is a village with great community spirit – the May Festival which happens every year is tremendous.
“There are two issues: should there be any development here at all, and is the access satisfactory?
“The water that does gather at the bottom of the field can be dealt with by a sustainable drainage scheme.
“It’s simply the case that spoiling a view has never been an acceptable reason to say no to a planning application – otherwise, we’d never get any development done.
“I’ve been up and down The Avenue many times over the years, and it is tight and narrow – I am worried about the prospect of parking up there.
“We should find a way, for instance with double yellow lines, to ensure the access is not obstructed.”
The committee voted to approve the plans by nine votes to one.
A reserved matters application, providing further details of the design and layout of the new homes, is expected to come forward in early-2025.