B&NES Ward Councillor for Radstock and life-long champion of social housing, Bruce Shearn, has told fellow Councillors on the Town Council planning committee that he felt “heartbroken” over a planning application that he would have to vote against due to highway concerns.

Cllr Shearn, who is Chair of the Radstock Town Council planning committee is torn over the application by Sovereign Housing Association Ltd., who want to build 26 dwellings in a mixed development on former scrapyard land at Bath Old Road.

Councillors admitted that they could not fault the plans, but that surrounding infrastructure would not support the

development.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Gary Dando said: “I cannot fault the site and if these plans were elsewhere, I would support it. But we have a problem here. The road situation is dangerous.

Cllr Colin Currie added that the roads in the Bath Old Road area, which is known for being a local rat run, “will just not take any more” vehicles.

Councillors voted through a recommendation to refuse the application, which will go before B&NES’ planning committee for a final decision, thought to be due in June. Cllr Gary Dando abstained from the vote.

Sovereign are utilising grant funding to deliver and manage 100% of the dwellings as affordable housing, which will be a mix of one to four bed homes comprising of two one bed apartments, nine two bed houses, thirteen three bed homes and two four bed homes. Seven will be for shared ownership and one of the three beds will be wheelchair adapted. The plans say the buildings will be built using local stone and render mix and each will have garden spaces with two areas of public open space.

The safety of roads in and around Bath Old Road was part of a wider discussion with another planning application for nine new homes at the former infant school also on the agenda, which in contrast, was recommended for approval by the Town Council’s planning committee. As an aside, Councillors added that work needed to be done on Bath Old Road’s highway as a whole and attempts to set up a meeting with B&NES’ Officers are being made to discuss the issues.

Councillors also completed Curo’s consultation on the future of the Walnut buildings site, which is currently being demolished. Together they agreed that prioritising new homes for local people was the highest priority, followed by a sympathetic development, energy efficiency and providing home ownership options and outdoor space, the importance of which has been highlighted through the pandemic.