Latest news with #TauntonDeaneCoreStrategy
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wellington A38 homes approval would be "thin end of the wedge"
Controversial plans for 250 new homes beyond a town's "natural boundary" have been opposed by the local Town Council voted on Monday to oppose the proposals for a site to the south of the A38 relief comes after about 90 people attended an earlier council meeting about the plans, which include 63 affordable company behind the plans, West Country-based land investor Wellington LVA, said it was aware of "local concerns" over infrastructure and it would look to make "proportionate contributions" if its application was successful. Wellington mayor Janet Lloyd said: "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."The site is made up of five agricultural fields, totalling 13.7 hectares, between Oldway Road - the A38 - to the north and Middle Green Farm to the initial consultation launched by Wellington LVA is open until 21 March. Dave Farrow, chief executive and town clerk of the town council, said a Local Plan drawn up in recent years concluded any new homes to the south of the relief road "wouldn't be appropriate"."It wouldn't enable that development to be part of the community of Wellington - it would be separated by that main road," he Farrow said access from the new homes to the town centre would be down Swains Lane which "narrows significantly" at the town also said the town council was concerned about flooding."Geographically the site is above the level of the town so water will find its way down. "It's essential water infrastructure is looked at as part of this process if the development goes ahead," he the promised 63 affordable homes, Mr Farrow said there were other sites already identified in the town where such housing could be built. Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has also come out against the plans."On other proposed developments, I have argued that we need housing and particularly homes which are genuinely affordable to local people," he said."But the relief road is, and should remain, Wellington's natural boundary."Developers mustn't try to take advantage of the fact the new [Somerset Council] Local Plan is now being prepared to get unsustainable sites, in the setting of the Wellington Monument, built upon," Mr Amos town council had previously considered plans for developing the area in 2023, when it formally agreed to oppose the proposals. 'Sustainable market town' Wellington LVA said that proposed site is within "easy walking and cycling distance" of a range of services and facilities and that the town of Wellington benefitted from its location close to Taunton and the M5 corridor."These credentials will be enhanced further with the potential re-opening of the Wellington Train Station," a spokesperson added: "Wellington is a sustainable market town which is identified within the existing Taunton Deane Core Strategy as a secondary focus for growth second only to Taunton."The spokesperson said if the plans were approved, contributions could be made via a Section 106 agreement or Community Infrastructure Levy funding.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plans for care home at former wedding venue refused
Plans to build 18 homes and a 70-bed care home at a former wedding and conference venue have been rejected. The proposal, submitted by Belstone Fox, aimed to convert the Grade II-listed Woodlands Castle in Ruishton, Somerset, into a private home with an additional 18 properties and care home its grounds. However, Somerset Council rejected the plans, saying the development would harm the character of the listed building and the village. Woodlands Castle, which dates back to the 17th Century, closed in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. The site has since suffered vandalism and was used as a cannabis farm in 2021, with the developer warning that temporary repairs to the building "will begin to fail in the near future." Council planning officers argued the proposed development would harm the significance of the listed building and conflict with local planning policies such as the Taunton Deane Core Strategy and the Ruishton and Thornfalcon Neighbourhood Plan. The design and scale of the proposed care home was seen as incompatible with the area's character. The council also expressed concerns that the development would extend Ruishton further toward the Taunton Gateway area, contributing to the merging of the village with nearby urban areas. Belstone Fox, however, maintained that the project would help restore and "preserve Woodlands Castle for future generations" while addressing local housing and care needs. A spokesperson from Harris Irwin Architects, representing the developer, said: "The creation of 70 high-quality care and dementia bedrooms will count towards the local authority's targets. "Residents who take up these bedrooms are likely to leave much larger homes within the local area, freeing up multi-bedroom apartments and houses for local families." The refusal comes after Somerset Council lost an appeal by Taylor Wimpey to build 150 homes on the Brookfield Nursery site on the other side of Ruishton Lane. It remains unclear whether Belstone Fox intends to appeal the council's decision. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Somerset Council allowed to raise tax by 7.5% Plans to dual A358 Taunton to A303 cancelled Plans for controversial cycle bridge shelved Somerset Council
BBC News
23-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Woodlands Castle development plans refused by Somerset Council
Plans to build 18 homes and a 70-bed care home at a former wedding and conference venue have been rejected. The proposal, submitted by Belstone Fox, aimed to convert the Grade II-listed Woodlands Castle in Ruishton, Somerset, into a private home with an additional 18 properties and care home its Somerset Council rejected the plans, saying the development would harm the character of the listed building and the Castle, which dates back to the 17th Century, closed in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. The site has since suffered vandalism and was used as a cannabis farm in 2021, with the developer warning that temporary repairs to the building "will begin to fail in the near future."Council planning officers argued the proposed development would harm the significance of the listed building and conflict with local planning policies such as the Taunton Deane Core Strategy and the Ruishton and Thornfalcon Neighbourhood design and scale of the proposed care home was seen as incompatible with the area's council also expressed concerns that the development would extend Ruishton further toward the Taunton Gateway area, contributing to the merging of the village with nearby urban areas. Belstone Fox, however, maintained that the project would help restore and "preserve Woodlands Castle for future generations" while addressing local housing and care needs. A spokesperson from Harris Irwin Architects, representing the developer, said: "The creation of 70 high-quality care and dementia bedrooms will count towards the local authority's targets. "Residents who take up these bedrooms are likely to leave much larger homes within the local area, freeing up multi-bedroom apartments and houses for local families."The refusal comes after Somerset Council lost an appeal by Taylor Wimpey to build 150 homes on the Brookfield Nursery site on the other side of Ruishton Lane. It remains unclear whether Belstone Fox intends to appeal the council's decision.
