Town councillors have voted to refuse planning permission for extra housing on the edge of Cades Farm. A developer hopes to construct 22 new houses at Taunton Road alongside the existing Cades Farm development. Six of them would be affordable homes. The council gave these reasons:
• The site encroaches on the Green Wedge surrounding Wellington an area the Town Council wish to keep as green space.
• Sustainability of the development is questionable
• This application would be an overdevelopment of the town
• There are concerns for flooding on this site.
Summerfield, the Taunton-based property company responsible for Westpark26 and much of the Chelston Business Park lodged an application last week to build the homes on land between the K & C Coles vegetable packing operation and the new dwellings at Cades Farm.
With construction about to start on the 500+ houses at the Longforth Farm development it could see a total of around 4000 new Wellington residents living between the Chelston roundabout and the Priory edge of the existing town.
Given that the planned houses adjoin a small stream, Somerset Wildlife Trust has already requested a more detailed survey to confirm the presence or absence of Great Crested Newts, Dormice, Otter, Water Vole and White Clawed Crayfish.
Comments on the application can be sent by email to Taunton Deane at this address planning.admin@tauntondeane.gov.uk