Wincanton Housing Crisis – Public Meeting on Tuesday 18th November

Wincanton is currently going through a period of over-development, which holds huge implications for the future. In fact, a building frenzy is upon us which our services are already unable to cope with. One thing Wincanton does not need is further housing and I’ll explain why.

There is currently planning consent for 703 homes, of which a good number remain unsold and as of 22nd October there are in excess of 130 homes for sale listed in local estate agents. There are currently four more planning applications that, if passed, will swamp our town with 237 more houses.

• Land behind Wincanton Community Hospital (formally Verrington) – 55 homes
• Windmill Farm (behind Penn View) – 100 homes
• Bayford Hill – 47 homes
• Land North of Dancing Lane – 35 homes

When we already have so many properties for sale, where is the sense in more development?

The development process is devouring land at an alarming rate and will eventually engulf the village communities on Wincanton’s perimeter; namely Bayford and Stoke Trister and open space for recreation will be lost forever.

One proposed development in particular threatens our Community Hospital; are we prepared to lose that valuable facility?

If these houses are built:

• Where will these people work?
• Where will their children be schooled?
• Healthcare facilities won’t cope.
• Public Transport needs improving.
• Proper traffic planning needs to be in place.

These are just a few of the issues.

A group of concerned residents has been vociferously campaigning for months to halt the tide of unwanted building applications. It’s time to make your feelings known; it’s time to stand up to greedy developers and land owners who have no care for the local community.

Therefore you are invited to attend a public meeting which will take place on 18th November at 7.30pm. The venue is the Sweetman Hall at The Bear Inn, Wincanton.

Please come along to support our campaign against needless development and have your say.

Comments

DM5757
Posts: 1

Housing Crisis
Reply #1 on : Mon November 03, 2014, 12:07:48

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Although the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the Sweetman Hall may be appropriate in the circumstances, one would hope that the number of interested parties would be greater that could be accommodated in the hall. Surely the Memorial Hall, if free, would be better. Or the hall in the council offices; I well remember the turn out for the parking charges - people standing!

nigelengert
Posts: 2

Housing Crisis
Reply #2 on : Thu November 06, 2014, 22:41:14

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Wincanton residents need to be aware that the only effective method of controlling unwanted development over and above the target set in the Local Plan is a Neighbourhood Plan, as detailed in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Wincanton Town Council applied to SSDC for permission to start work on a Wincanton Neighbourhood Plan last year and now has a Sub Committee for this purpose. Funding is available from the Government to enable WTC to carry out it out with the assistance of an external facilitator. Local residents will be invited to participate in this complex but ultimately rewarding process which, once completed, must be submitted for approval via a local referendum. It will then have the same weight as the Local Plan when planning applications are being considered.
Contact WTC for more information.
Just protesting without meaningful and effective action is a waste of time.

Nick Colbert
Posts: 1

Housing Crisis
Reply #3 on : Fri November 07, 2014, 13:16:03

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Nigel is absolutely right, getting a Neighbourhood Plan in place needs to be a priority and objections to all unwanted planning applications need to be focussed on proper planning reasons to succeed.

I learnt some good news last night at a Full Council meeting, a planning appeal at Goldwell Farm has just been dismissed by the inspector for reasons that might well affect 3 of our problem applications.

For anyone interested cut and paste the link below to take you to the appeal decision:

http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp

The conclusion was:

"Whilst recognising the clear benefits of development to the town (affordable housing, jobs, increased footfall in the town) the inspector has determined that the adverse impacts of the scheme outweigh the benefits and has dismissed the appeal.
He agreed with the council on the issue of landscape stating that the development of this site would have a significant adverse impact upon the landscape, particularly when viewed from nearby public vantage points.
The inspector also agreed that the site was some distance from local facilities and that the inability to provide realistic alternatives to the private motor car meant that the site could not be considered as sustainable. The appellants QC made much of the fact that SCC Highways had "signed off" the developers proposed Travel Plan however the inspector did not consider that the Travel Plan was realistic and that the measures proposed would have any realistic effect bearing in mind the inadequacies of the local pavement and footpaths and the reduction in the bus services."

That seems to me to have quite a few similar points applicable to some of our current appeals and gives us a good guide as to some of the points we can make.

Last Edit: November 07, 2014, 13:27:04 by Nick Colbert  

PeterMunro
Posts: 1

Housing Crisis
Reply #4 on : Wed November 12, 2014, 19:52:05

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Whilst Mr Engert is right that we need a signed off Neighbourhood Plan I do not agree that the meeting scheduled for 2nd Dec is a waste of time.
Point 1. It will be many months if not years before the Plan is approved and we are faced with at least four significant applications which will go before the Planning Committee/Planning Inspector long before the Plan is in place. In the meantime we need to mobilise opposition and, by discussion, to come up with the best possible reasons for objecting. This meeting is a good forum for this and I hope that WTC will attend in a helpful frame of mind.
Point 2. Those who live in Wincanton need to understand the full extent and detail of the planning applications. I hope that the output of this meeting will include this and that it will be reported in the media.
The more who attend the better. Well done those who have organised it.

nigelengert
Posts: 2

Housing Crisis
Reply #5 on : Thu November 13, 2014, 15:10:03

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I did not say that the meeting was a waste of time. This will only be true if it fails to lead on to meaningful and effective action.
Note that the South Somerset Local Plan is now entering the final stages and should be in place by early next year.
If all or most of those who attend on 18th Nov also get involved in the Neighbourhood Plan process, we stand some chance of exerting much more control over the future development of the town.

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