Nigel Whitehead, from developers, WPD and three of his colleagues, were welcomed by local residents at a meeting held in Midsomer Norton Town Hall on Wednesday, 16th March. The meeting, which was hosted by Welton Village Group, aimed to establish the present status of the development plans for the Welton, Bibby and Baron site and to clarify specific issues, giving local residents the opportunity to ask questions.

Whilst the present plans are still at the conceptual stage, there are clear ideas on landscaping and access management and a number of key issues were identified.

One of the most welcome included the proposal to open the culvert that presently covers the stretch of Wellow Brook that runs through the area. This would provide an accessible and attractive east-west route through the site and become a focal point for the development. A north-South pedestrian and cycle route through the site to Midsomer High Street would provide a very much safer option than Station Road, with its narrow pavements and fast moving traffic.

An increase in vehicle movements as a consequence of the redevelopment proposals was a significant concern, but it was pointed out that, when fully operational, the factory generated a significant number of vehicle movements, many of which were large heavy goods vehicles.

The question and answer session covered a range of issues. Heritage assets were high on the agenda, with particular emphasis on the old brewery building, which dates back to the 1850s. Whilst at this stage it is difficult to establish how much of the site’s heritage could be incorporated into the development, it was recognised that this is a subject close to many people’s hearts.

The Developers understood the significant commercial benefits to which this site would be entitled, resulting from the recently gained ‘Enterprise Zone’ status and the general concern that any planning application should be on a site-wide basis rather than piecemeal. Whilst it was recognised that this is a complex development project, it was felt that there was presently insufficient detail and lack of progress.

Roger Tollervey, Chair of Welton Village Group, concluded by saying that residents had now gained an understanding of the development process and the status of the present plans and would be able to address constructively some of the concerns of residents. Personally he was encouraged by the willingness of Nigel Whitehead and WPB to engage with local residents and hoped to maintain the constructive relationship.