There were once again strong opinions voiced as Midsomer Norton Town Council discussed its comments for the outline application due to go before Mendip District Council for the proposed new Primary School and 188 residential dwellings at White Post. There is also another application pending on the other side of the road for a further 151 dwellings by another developer, which has been previously refused.

If the school site were to be approved, it will be connected to the new Barratt estate, just off Charlton Park, with work having already started there to build 165 homes.

Like Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Midsomer Norton has expressed anger at what it says has been no prior consultation on the school and land plan, however, it had been aware of the developer’s aspiration to build here in future. Villagers at the recent meeting in Stratton were furious at the possibility of their village being expanded so greatly, as it falls within its boundary. During the same week, local GP, Nick Jones, spoke out about the planned large estates in this area, saying that the local surgeries cannot cope with such an influx of residents.

The Town Council voted to object to both plans in principle, over concerns of congestion, lack of infrastructure and sustainability of the site, and the pressures that it will bring to Midsomer Norton and surrounding areas.

Suspending standing orders allowing him to speak during the meeting, Dr Mark Thompson, Deputy Head of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership and Project

Manager for the new primary school, said that he had “anxiety” over a negative decision with “a fear that the educational need for a school will be overlooked.” B&NES Council originally approached the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership to put forward a bid for a new primary school, after calculating there will be a shortfall of 77 primary school places locally by 2017.

Cllr Michael Evans revealed that despite this, it is now likely that B&NES will be objecting to the plans and should Mendip District Council refuse the application, current local schools would have to expand to fill shortfall and then “energetically” explore the other sites originally put forward, which have already been looked at by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). In the current plan, the EFA would buy the land from the developer for £1, contributing £10 million for the building of the new 630-place school.

One of the main concerns of Midsomer Norton Town Council is access to the estate and consequently, pupils’ safety. Cllr Paul Myers said he objected to the school being at the remotest end of the site and predicted that should the application be approved, there would be problems on Silver Street, needing “a complete upgrade with proper infrastructure put in place.”

He said: “I have never seen anything like this plan. I don’t understand how the Education Funding Agency could reject other sites for this far flung site, away from our community heart, with a problem with infrastructure and roads. How could you possibly create a bigger problem of moving people to and from a school than by choosing this site?

“Somervale School, in my opinion, is not fully utilised. Norton Hill has land. I don’t see why the school has to be on that site to justify all these extra houses that we don’t have jobs for. We don’t need more houses – we have sites coming forward within the town that will fill our capacity now until 2029 – indeed, we will fill it early – and then there are another 151 proposed after that. I feel very strongly against this application, but fundamentally not against a new school.”

Simon Steele-Perkins, from the developer, Waddeton Park Ltd., said that the Silver Street issue was a “perceived problem” and that he disagreed that it would need work. He stressed that Highway reports had not yet been received by B&NES and Somerset County Council and that should it be a mitigation requirement as part of

planning conditions, then Silver Street improvements would go ahead. When questioned on where he thought the employment options were, Mr Steele-Perkins said Westfield Industrial Estate had plots of employment land and units available, with Cllr Evans arguing that the area is struggling to attract new businesses and regenerate its towns.

Cllr Jane Lewis expressed her grave concern that the application was making a mockery of the Local Plan, which volunteers had spent much time, effort and resources collating, only for the EFA to offer the prize of a new school, but alongside extra housing.

Simon Steele-Perkins further defended the plans, saying that he had been trying to put together a comprehensive approach to the development of the whole area “for some time, which has fallen on deaf ears in local planning. What is driving all of this is timing and the urgent need for school places,” he said. Cllr Myers said he would be seeking an urgent meeting with the EFA.

Readers can view the application via: www.mendip.gov.uk/planning using the reference: 2016/0980/OTS

A target decision date for the outline application has been set for 21st July 2016.