Decision delay on 'one of the worst' housing plans

A final decision on “one of the worst” housing developments proposed in Somerset has been pushed back over concerns about the affordable homes it will provide.

East Brent LVA LLP applied for outline permission to build 40 new homes on Old Bristol Road in East Brent.

The proposed site is roughly halfway between Highbridge and Weston-super-Mare, near the M5 Sedgemoor services.

In 2020, Sedgemoor District Council’s development committee refused the proposals, but the decision was reversed by the Planning Inspectorate on appeal.

Newport-based Edenstone Homes acquired the site and put forward amended plans in February 2022 before going to Somerset Council’s planning committee north on 12 March for final approval.

The committee voted to delay a decision until concerns surrounding the affordable homes had been addressed.

The development site is classified by the Environment Agency (EA) as being in flood zone – meaning there is at least a one per cent chance of it flooding in the future.

As a solution, Edenstone has proposed the installation of surface water pumps which will move water away from the new homes in the event of heavy rain.

Local resident Jenny Doyle told the committee in Bridgwater that her and fellow locals’ concerns about the development had been met with “disdain and contempt” by the developer.

In a statement read out on her behalf, she said: “There has been no attempt to work collaboratively with residents or the parish council.

"This is our community, and we feel you have failed to fulfil any mitigation commitments or allay any fears that we might have."