Town centre brownfield site set for development

A well-known former builder's yard in Bridgwater is going to be turned into a new housing development.

Councillors granted planning permission at a meeting on Tuesday for the redevelopment of Pollard's on Monmouth Street.

It will have 33 new homes on the yard at the back and six new flats in the main front building as well as a play area.

Pollard's ceased trading in 2021 after more than 160 years with the site being largely left vacant since then.

Two residents spoke in favour of the plans at the meeting.

Ernie Turner told the meeting the derelict yard was used by would-be thieves earlier this year to access his neighbouring property.

Rob Harding owns two homes on Polden Street which border the site.

He said the new houses would be preferable to the former industrial site.

"We used to get dust from the yard constantly on our clean washing and the noise meant we couldn't enjoy our garden," he said.

"It's a residential area so this will be a huge improvement for everybody nearby," Mr Harding added.

Peter Grubb, from Lighthouse Development Consulting, representing the applicants, said it was the "best possible solution" for the site.

He told the meeting all the homes would have electric vehicle charging points, heat pumps and rooftop solar panels.

They will be a mix of two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes.

Somerset Council planning officer Louise Newcombe explained to the meeting that only one affordable home would be included in the development because the site was brownfield and the plans bring a vacant building back into use.

All the buildings on the site will be demolished except an office block facing onto Monmouth Street, which will become six flats.

A non-listed World War Two aircraft hangar which has been used for storage on the site will be moved to a nearby aviation museum.

Bridgwater Town Council had objected to the plans saying the access onto Monmouth Street needed to be wider.

The meeting heard that the local highways authority had no objections and the applicant said there would be fewer traffic movements than when it was used as a builder's yard.

Nine members of Somerset Council's planning committee voted in favour of the plans with one abstention.

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