Plans for 48 homes in Tatworth, near Chard, REFUSED at meeting

Brewer Lillington and Land Allocation Ltd. put forward separate outline plans for the homes on two adjoining sites on Fore Street in Tatworth, near Chard.

South Somerset District Council’s area west committee deferred a decision on the plans in September 2021, prompting the developers to come back with amended proposals.

However, the committee voted on Wednesday evening (January 19) to turn down the amended plans, citing over-development, road safety and environmental concerns.

Fore Street lies at the northern end at Tatworth, connecting the A358 Axminster Road from Chard to the B3167 Perry Street, which serves as a vital back road to Crewkerne.

The sites comprise an agricultural lane between Manor Farm Close and Loveridge Way, being separated by hedgerows and an existing bungalow called Sunnyside.

The original proposals featured two separate accesses onto Fore Street opposite the existing properties, with 35 homes on the western site and a further 13 on the eastern site.

The revised proposals reduce this to one access within the eastern site, with a new estate road serving all 48 properties.

Judith Abbott, who lives directly opposite the proposed access road, said the new homes would cause road safety issues throughout the village.

She said: “There will be a significant increase in road usage if the development is built, and there will inevitably be overspill parking outside the boundaries of the development.

“There is already – and increasingly – occasional parking on the road and pavement immediately outside our property, which obscures sight lines for traffic existing at Langdons Way and to us from our driveways.

“If this is granted, we ask that there be conditions to include traffic calming measures, speed cameras and double yellow lines on the highway, as well as pavements – without which, everybody’s safety is jeopardised.”

Peter Chapple, who also lives in the village, added: “The road is already quite dangerous – it’s used by pedestrians, cyclists and quite a lot of traffic, including buses and other larger vehicles.

“That road is going to be used not only by the residents of this development, but by all the construction traffic, which is going to be coming down that road from the A358 causing huge disruption and really creating a danger for the residents.

“The vast majority of local residents are not happy with this proposal. We do not want to be urbanised in this way.”

The parish of Tatworth and Forton is seeing significant housing growth as Chard expands at its southern and eastern edge.

In addition to the 200 homes in Chard being constructed by Tilia Homes (formerly Kier Living South West), permission is in place for Summerfield Developments to build a further 94 homes on the adjoining site to the south.

Further plans for 252 homes between Tatworth Road and the B3162 Forton Road, put forward by Persimmon Homes South West, are also shortly due to be voted upon by councillors.

In addition to the new homes, Chard Junction Quarry near Tatworth could soon be expanded, in a scenario described by Mr Chapple as “horrendous”.

Councillor Jenny Kenton (whose Blackdown and Tatworth ward includes the site) said she still had concerns about how the new homes would impact on the environment.

She said: “We know there are dormice there. By joining the two sites together, we are not only taking out the front hedgerow for them, but we are also taking out quite a big chunk of the middle hedge, which they may use to move from one place to another.

“I still don’t think it’s the right thing for Tatworth.”

Neither of the two sites is allocated for housing within the council’s Local Plan (which is currently under review).

Councillor Martin Wale (who represents the same ward) said: “This road is very busy, unsuitable for more traffic and has no foot-way on part of it.”

Councillor Jason Baker, who chaired the meeting, added: “There are very limited services in the village.

“If you continue to expand at the rate we’re expanding, how long before those services are overwhelmed?”

After around an hour’s debate, the committee voted to refuse both plans, by nine votes to two and seven votes to four respectively (with one abstention in each case).

A separate decision on plans for 97 homes on the B3167, at the other end of the village, is expected to be taken later in the year.