A call to action took place at Writhlington Village Hall last Sunday morning, as dedicated villagers gathered to volunteer their services against a planning application for 160 new homes on agricultural land.

The application by Gladman Developments, a Cheshire company, was lodged with B&NES Council just before Christmas, and is expected to come before the local authority for a decision around March/April time. Residents have until 14th February to submit their comments for or against the proposals.

Previous meetings have seen similar shows of force, with residents extremely concerned about heavy traffic and the safety of local schoolchildren at St Mary’s and Writhlington Secondary School; with a pupil knocked down last year and a car accident closing the road last Friday evening.

Rat-running is also an emotive topic, with one resident stating that since the redevelopment of Radstock and the traffic chaos that ensued, motorists have not stopped using the lanes to avoid queues, even now building work has finished.

Residents were updated on the fast-paced action since they had last met, with many letters sent, including to the local MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg. They have also been working hard on submitting information as part of the B&NES Local Plan to try and protect Writhlington village from future housing.

Chair of the meeting, Paul Thomas, said whilst he was very pleased to see residents, they had to be united in their efforts and each bring something to the table. Going through an action plan, villagers signed up to join working parties and volunteered for traffic surveys, recording accidents, looking at the environmental impact, suggesting other brownfield sites, posting flyers, and looking at housing availability in the BA3 area.

There was an appeal to all residents in the Somer Valley area to get behind the cause, because, as this development is outside the housing boundary set by B&NES, campaigners argue that if the development is allowed, it will unlock green fields across the area, and potentially, those adjoining this latest application.

The Chair also stressed the need for individual objections, rather than petitions, asking for personal stories about how their lives would and have been affected by the issues raised.

The meeting heard from a representative from the South Wansdyke Archery Club, who said that due to area restrictions, if the development goes ahead, they would need to move. They said they would be looking for support from Archery GB to fight their cause.

Gladman Development’s planning application says it would be providing 30% affordable homes, with over 50% gross formal and informal open space. Included are new access arrangements linking up to local footpaths and cyclepaths, potentially expanding the village allotments, providing additional parking for Manor Road, a drop-off point for the schools, a play area, and part of the site to be retained for agricultural use.

Residents have been angered by claims that the application is supported by local villagers, ‘a number of whom have expressed through our community involvement process that they do support the proposed development, and have expressed a desire for a mix of both affordable housing and ‘higher end’ properties in the proposed mix, as there is a lack in the current local market for these housing types.’

The plan argues it will be ‘a positive addition to Writhlington, complementing the character and surrounding area in terms of scale, density and quality.’ The company also doesn’t hold back against the local authority, arguing that it is not meeting its affordable housing requirements. Whilst they acknowledge that B&NES Council can now demonstrate having a minimum five year housing supply, the application says ‘this is just a minimum target figure for authorities.’

Many comments have been received against the proposal so far, but other reports have been logged, too. Early indications show that there could be Iron Age and Roman archeological remains on site, as Middle Iron Age pottery was found when building was taking place at Knobsbury Lane. A field evaluation has been recommended before the application is taken any further.

Residents continued their fight on Monday evening, speaking to local Town Councillors at their monthly meeting. Town Councillors listened and all voted to recommend refusal to B&NES, except for Cllr Rob Langley, who declared an interest as a nearby resident.

A Writhlington homeowner told the meeting: “This application will promote massive outcommuting in an area where public transport is poor, and job opportunities are limited.

“I’ve lived here now for about 25 years – during the last two years, the amount of traffic has increased dramatically. When all of the work was taking place in Radstock, commuters found lanes for shortcuts. It’s now a completely different situation to how it was a few years ago. I’ve lost count of the number of near misses that we have had, just trying to leave our home.

“You also have walkers trying to get down to the cyclepath. You can’t even get there safely. Children who are walking to school from Peasedown St John to Writhlington are taking their lives into their hands.

“The condition of the roads is appalling. It’s totally dangerous, it’s unsafe, and this will apply to all of the roads around this development. Everyone knows how problematic the junctions are at Writhlington. The concept of putting maybe 200 extra cars in this environment doesn’t even bear thinking about.”

Residents also warned about creating an “environmental disaster,” the cost of having to build a new sewage works, clean air, and the loss of agricultural land, when brownfield sites should be developed first.

B&NES Ward Councillor for Radstock (Labour) and Radstock Town Councillor, Chris Dando, proposed on Monday evening that the Town Council should recommend refusal. He said: “It’s important that we acknowledge that this development is not only outside of policy, but it’s also unsuitable, unwanted and unnecessary.

“It’s clear that we should send a very strong message to B&NES Council that this is outside of the housing boundary; it does harm to the local community, is out of scale with existing facilities, and applies all sorts of pressure to facilities, both in the village and wider areas, and would undoubtedly lead to further speculative planning applications in surrounding fields.

“This is very much a sounding-out exercise by the applicant – I think we should thank them for their efforts, and then tell them to go away.

“Our area has sufficient housing at this moment in time – without having to build on a green or agricultural site. Whilst there will be a requirement for housing in the Somer Valley, this development alone is 10% of what B&NES is proposing over the next twenty years.”

Comments can be made and documents viewed until 14th February via B&NES Council’s planning portal under application reference: 18/05683/OUT

Another meeting has been called this Sunday, at Writhlington Village Hall at 10 a.m. for interested parties. Readers can also be kept informed via the Facebook page, ‘Writhlington – Save Our Village’.