Plans for 180 Midsomer Norton homes refused

Plans for 180 new homes on “one of the best fields in Somerset’ have been roundly refused by local councillors.

Persimmon Homes Wessex put forward outline plans in March 2022 to build up to 190 new homes on the eastern side of the A367 Fosseway South in Midsomer Norton.

Following negotiations with Somerset Council’s planning officers, the intended number of homes was reduced down to 180 before the proposals came before the council’s planning committee east for approval.

But after two years of work, the committee (which handles major applications within the former Mendip area) voted by a substantial margin to refuse the plans, citing over-development, “poor access to services” and a lack of local employment opportunities.

The site lies to the south of the existing homes on Fossefield Road, a short distance from St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School.

Access from the site would have been from the A367, with a new pedestrian crossing being delivered near the entrance to provide a connection with both the existing Beauchamp Avenue homes and the new Cherry Blossom View and Somer Meadows estates, which are currently under construction.

Of the 180 homes which were earmarked for the site, 54 would have been affordable, meeting the council’s 30 per cent target for any new development of ten homes or more in the former Mendip district.

In addition to the affordable homes and green space to the south-east of the new homes, Persimmon promised to provide nearly £84,000 towards new special needs school places in Midsomer Norton, nearly £180,000 towards school transport costs, and just over £80,000 for local GP surgeries (split between the Mendip Country Practice in Radstock and Oakhill Surgery in Oakhill).

Eleanor Jackson was among the local residents who objected to the plans when the council’s planning committee east met in Shepton Mallet on August 6.

In a statement read out on her behalf, she said: “We feel strongly about large estates like this proposed development being grafted onto our community in such a way that the nearest facilities in Westfield become overstretched.

“Our homeless families will not benefit from the social housing.

“We are also concerned about the inevitable increase in traffic on the A367 – which was built in AD49 for Roman cohorts, and not been widened much since.

“There is agreement that this not a sustainable location. You should not be permitting greenfield developments in an age of climate change.”

The site was originally allocated for development within the Mendip Local Plan Part II, which was approved by district councillors in December 2021.

However, it was struck out of the plan following a successful judicial review and has not been included in the revised Local Plan Part II, which was subject to public consultation until Monday (August 12).

Local resident Patrick Holland concurred: “This is not about not building new homes – in a growing population, that’s needed.

“This is about communities growing in a way that serves the community now and into the future.

“This site is in open countryside, and if not turned down it directly convenes your own planning policies. Approving this will set an incredibly dangerous precedent.”

Councillor Edric Hobbs – whose Mendip Hills division includes the site – added: “Three applications in the last 11 years have been turned down for 151 years on this site.

“Oakhill Surgery is already over capacity by 409 patients, and I was told recently that Hope House Surgery in Radstock is in a similar situation.

“This area has already taken massive development, and I don’t think the road network can take it.”

Councillor Bente Height (Shepton Mallet) said: “What is being done to maintain industry and work for all these people that’s going to move into these houses?

“You cannot have a whole village of God knows how many thousands of people where there’s no work, and they all have to go to Bristol or Bath.”

Councillor Philip Ham (Mendip Central and East) added: “I farmed this field in the 1960s and 1970s – it’s one of the best fields in Somerset.

“We’re in a world of food security. We need to keep the best land, and I think this is just one step too far in this area.

“This is going to double the size of the parish of Kilmersdon – and the main village is one-and-a-half miles from the site.”

After around two hours’ debate, the committee voted to refuse planning permission by six votes to two, with one abstention.

A spokesman for Persimmon Homes Wessex said: “We are very disappointed by the committee’s decision to reject our proposal to deliver 180 much-needed new homes in Midsomer Norton, especially as it contradicted the council planning officer’s recommendation to approve the scheme.

“In light of this decision, we will now take the necessary time to assess our next steps.”