Plans for housing development near Highbridge railway station rejected

Plans for 47 new homes near Highbridge's railway station have been thrown out by councillors because of design concerns.

Paulton-based developer Flower and Hayes Ltd applied to build the homes on a greenfield site north of the B3139 Walrow, one of the main roads through the town.

Members of Sedgemoor District Council's development committee visited the site after Burnham and Highbridge Town Council objected to the plans, citing highway safety, "over-development" and impact on nearby wildlife.

At a meeting in Bridgwater on Tuesday morning (March 19), committee members voted by a large margin to refuse the plans.

Councillor Roger Keen, who spoke during the public session, argued that the proposed access road into the site was too close to the bridge over the railway line.

He said: "According to the RAC and government website, an average family car in dry conditions in 30mph has a stopping distance of 41 metres.

"If you're going over that bridge first thing in the morning - you've just woken up, a little bit tired - those breaking distances are going to increase.

"It doesn't take a lot to work out what's going to happen here."

Committee members raised similar concerns about the access arrangements for the proposed properties.

Councillor David Loveridge described the proposal as "contrived", adding: "In Bridgwater we have a junction which is near-identical, and it's inadequate to say the least.

"If you've got to build a new junction, you build a safe one."

Councillor Mike Facey added: "I've used this road for years - thank God it's signalled now, 'cos if not it would be a nightmare."

Councillor Janet Keen raised concerns about the development's proximity to the railway line and how this would affect potential residents' quality of life.

She said: "Whilst we were there, we saw how busy the train line was, both with the intercity high speed trains and the trains between Taunton and Bristol.

"Where you have got the need for acoustic bunds or any cordon sanitaire between such a matter and housing, that cordon decreases the amount of outside amenity which the other properties within a development may have.

"When the high speed intercity trains went by, you could feel the tremor in the ground.

"Can you imagine what it will be like for someone who's purchased a property near there? There's no getting away from that."

Highbridge and Burnham railway station handles more than 207,000 passengers a year, according to the Office for Rail and Road.

While the station is only served by hourly stopper services, the line is also used by faster CrossCountry trains on the Birmingham to Paignton route.

Councillor Bob Filmer, who chairs the committee, said it would be difficult to refuse the plans on highway grounds since Somerset County Council (the highway authority) had not put forward any objections.

Other councillors then suggested the plans be refused on design grounds, claiming the new buildings would not blend with the existing properties.

Councillor Paul Herbert said: "Are we turning Somerset into London?

"They're doing this sort of thing [in London] because they've run out of space.

"We're not that short of space. Someone's being a little bit greedy with this."

Councillor Tony Grimes added: "I don't think the design is in keeping at all. I'm also concerned with the proximity of the road and the ramp, and the two houses on the corner."

The committee voted to refused the plans by a margin of nine votes to two, with one abstention, citing the "out of character" design and the proposed access ramp near the railway bridge.

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