Emerging Local Plan Consultation Response

Representation in response to the proposed revised settlement boundary at .

On behalf of Mr J Reed, 3 Main Road, West Huntspill, TA9 3QS

13 January 2016

Williams Planning & Design Consultancy

1 McCreath Close

North Petherton

Somerset

TA6 6RP

M: 07525 636 283 E: [email protected]

O: 01278 284583 W: www.williamspdc.com

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Introduction

The emerging Local Plan proposes the realignment of settlement boundaries that will affect a large number of settlements within District. We write on behalf of Mr John Reed, owner of the property known as 3 Main Road, West Huntspill.

3 Main Road forms one of a number of dwelling houses within a small collection of properties located immediately adjacent to the draft development boundaries for West Huntspill and Highbridge.

Under the current Core Strategy, 3 Main Road is located within the “countryside”, being outside but adjacent to the defined settlement limits for Highbridge and West Huntspill.

Suggested Approach 5

The Core Strategy for Sedgemoor currently identifies West Huntspill as an “Other Sustainable Settlement”. Under the Local Plan review, it is proposed to classify West Huntspill as a Tier 3 settlement, which will allow housing growth on appropriate infill sites, self build within or adjacent to settlement limits and the release of greenfield sites under a Neighbourhood Plan or Local Priority Housing policy.

Question 7

a) We consider the revised settlement hierarchy to be an appropriate mechanism for identifying suitable available sites for housing development on a case by case basis. b) We consider the definition of West Huntspill as a Tier 3 settlement to be correct. The settlement is located within close proximity to Highbridge but provides a range of public services that allow residents to have sustainable lifestyles. West Huntspill is a settlement capable of accommodating future growth given its excellent links to Burnham on Sea, Highbridge and . It is important for the local community to support new housing

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development within West Huntspill itself in order to provide housing required by local people.

Suggested Approach 9

This approach suggests the realignment of settlement boundaries and a number of reasons are set out to justify these proposed changes.

Question 12

“Do you consider the draft development boundaries shown in the Map Appendix to correctly identify the boundary between the settlements built up area and open countryside? If not what changes should be made and why?”

We do not believe the suggested development boundary for West Huntspill to correctly identify the full extent of the settlement.

West Huntspill is a large rural settlement within close proximity of Highbridge. The settlement has evolved historically with a ribbon pattern of development, with the built environment being stretched out along the length of the A38 which cuts through the middle of the settlement.

The proposed development boundary for West Huntspill is split into two sections, with the majority of the settlement contained within one boundary and a second much smaller section of the settlement to the North. However, as a result of the historic ribbon development, there is an additional group of residential properties sited along the A38 that should, in our opinion, be included within the draft development boundary for West Huntspill.

Specifically, our client owns the property known as 3 Main Road. This is a detached single storey dwelling surrounded to the North, South, East and West by other residential properties. This group of properties should not be described as being within open countryside due to their close physical relationship to the built environment of West Huntspill to the South and Highbridge to the North.

The relationship between this group of dwelling houses to the draft development boundaries for West Huntspill and Highbridge is evidenced on the two attached

WilliamsPDC plans. The two plans show this group of dwellings as being left outside the draft development boundaries and therefore in planning policy terms, in an area of open countryside. In contrast, all other groups of dwelling houses along this section of the A38 are accommodated within the proposed development boundaries for West Huntspill and Highbridge. This suggests that the draft development boundary for West Huntspill has not been drawn in a consistent manner.

It is our recommendation that the group of dwelling houses surrounding 3 Main Road be given a development boundary, as indicated in red on the attached plan. Whilst fewer in number, the layout of these properties and their impact upon the countryside is directly comparable to the built development along New Road and Smurl Lane to the South, which has been allocated within the draft development boundary.

In planning terms this collection of buildings have a sustainable location, with the services and facilities in West Huntspill and Highbridge being accessible via public transport, bicycle and on foot in a safe and convenient manner.

Providing a development boundary around these properties would reflect the pattern of development within the area. There is not, in our opinion, a danger of setting precedent for further small groups to come forward for inclusion within the development boundary for West Huntspill, as this collection of properties forms the last group along the A38 between West Huntspill and Highbridge.

We consider there to be strong and sustainable planning reasons to revise the draft development boundary for West Huntspill, to include this group, as indicated on the attached plan and we would be pleased to see such a revision be proposed within the next stage of the Local Plan review.

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