Bawdrip Development Proposal on Countryside

Update, A Planning submission was submitted to Sedgemoor District Council for planning permission for 10 houses, village hall, play area and 54 parking spaces on an area of open countryside outside of the boundary of the village of Bawdrip.  

Update, A Parish Council meeting took place on Tuesday 1 December 2020 at 7.30pm via Zoom.  There was an agenda item(6b) for the Parish Council to report on a request to confirm that a new village hall is an "infrastructure priority" for the village.  This request has been made by Sedgemoor DC.  Members of the public were permitted to speak on the agenda item at the beginning of the meeting for five minutes.  Some people felt that a new Hall was needed, whilst more felt that it was not, and that the current Parish Hall could effectively meet the needs of the village for many years to come.  Feedback from the meeting will be sent back to Sedgemoor in due course.

 

It was also noted that a fund has now been set up with the support of the School and the Co-Op to build a new Village Hub, This hub will be used by local people who want to run classes and to enable groups within that new space for both the school and the wider community. This of course is a positive step for the local community and a well thought-out move towards an environmental & sustainable way to have a further village hub without the need to build on/destroy open countryside. This also helps secure the future of our well loved and well used Parish Hall, which could, with a comparatively small amount of investment and TLC, have many more years of use ahead of it. 

 

Link here for a link from the School

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Link to the Co-op Fundraising page

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Back in march of 2020 there was a Public Consultation at Bawdrip Parish Hall at which time Tony Bradford’s agent/design team were discussing initial plans for a proposed development of 10 houses, a car park, children’s play area and village hall on land bordered Bradney Lane/Stone Drove.  This “consultation” is a result of the Parish Council (“PC”) suggesting to Mr Bradford that he should gauge local opinion about the proposed development before seeking the PC’s approval. Wyg, the landowner’s agents, are asking for comments by 24 March.  You can submit your comments to them by email (planning.wellington@wyg.com). Please set out your objections and the reasons for them.

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FAQs following the Public Consultation at the Parish Hall on 10 March:

 

I went to the consultation on 10 March/I wasn’t available to attend the consultation and I have questions about the proposals.  Conflicting information was given and people are saying different things …

 

1. Can more houses be built on this site if planning permission is granted for this proposal?  At the moment, the plans show 10 new houses.  Is this the end of it?

 

There were conflicting responses to this question from the landowner’s agents.  One agent said that it would not be possible for the landowner to get permission for further development.  Another said that the houses are being built solely to fund the construction of the village hall, and that he could not comment on future plans by the landowner to build further housing.   However, this is a large site. 

The plans include building various roads into the new site.  There is a road leading into an empty field 'the so called road to nowhere'. 

You can draw your own conclusions but it appears to us that this will just be the beginning of it.  If planning permission is obtained to build 10 residential houses, there is nothing stopping the landowner (or any other landowner, new or existing, of land surrounding Bawdrip) applying for permission to build further houses. 

 

2. I was told that the proposed site is not a 3b flood plain – the agent seemed sure because he had a map. 

 

The Environment Agency Flood map for the site confirms that this is flood zone 3b (a functional flood plain).  That means that it is land where water has to flow or be stored in times of flood.  Development of any kind is heavily restricted on a 3b functional flood plain.  Planning was refused by Sedgemoor District Council on this site in 2014 because of its location within flood zone 3b.  The site is still within flood zone 3b.  Nothing has changed. 

 

3. I was told by the planners the village is a Tier 3 settlement?  Is that correct?  What does that mean?

 

That statement is inaccurate. Bawdrip has never been a Tier 3 settlement.  Tier 3 settlements include Ashcott, Brean and Brent Knoll, which have “adequate but basis levels of key local services and facilities”. 

 

The village settlement of Bawdrip is a Tier 4 settlement.  A Tier 4 settlement is defined in Sedgemoor District Council’s (“SDC”) Local Plan as being “Rural locations with more limited services and facilities.  They are not considered to have a full range of local services and are therefore more dependent on neighbouring settlements for many essential needs”. 

 

The proposed site however does not fall within the settlement  boundary of Bawdrip  and is defined in SDC’s Local Plan as being “Countryside – The remainder of the district is classified as countryside where development will be appropriately controlled.  Smaller villages and hamlets located in the countryside are considered to have extremely limited facilities and are not considered to be sustainable locations for growth”.

 

4. I was told we would have a free village hall, all paid for.  Is that true? 

 

We do not believe this to be the case.  As we understand it, the landowner is suggesting that he will erect the “frame” of a village hall.  It will not be finished or kitted out with any facilities such as a kitchen, function room, etc, etc.  There is, we understand it, no plan for maintenance of the village hall.  No consideration appears to have been given to security or insurance, alcoholic licensees or who will be responsible for running the village hall.  No consideration appears to have been given to who will meet the costs of converting a basic frame of a building into a functional village hall. 

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Little discussion, if any, has been had with the group responsible for looking into viable alternatives for the current parish hall, the proposed village Hub at the school or the church, all areas that would compete with a village hall and use.  The landowner is suggesting that the new village hall will be 3½ times the size of the existing parish hall with 30+ parking spaces.  No consideration appears to have been given to previous research into the need, or lack of, need for a village hall of this size or its placement outside of the village.

 

5. I was told no-one had applied for planning permission on this site in the past.  I recall there was a proposal in the past but that planning was refused.  When I questioned this with the landowner’s agents, I was told this was a different site as it was the other side of the field.  What is the truth?

 

The same landowner applied for planning permission to erect a number of “fishermen’s cottages” on this site in 2014.  That application was refused by Sedgemoor District Council in the face of strong local objection, objections from the Environment Agency, Parish Council and ward councillors.  It was refused because it was on a 3b flood plain and was not a sustainable form of development in open countryside. 

This is the same parcel of land – registered under the same title number with HM Land Registry.  The only change is that this time, the landowner is proposing to build 10 houses, the shell of a village hall, a play area and a large car park, together with access roads on the same plot as before.  This site has been considered by Sedgemoor District Council in their 2014-2016 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) (as were other available parcels of land within Sedgemoor) and was rejected (Site ref H354) as not being suitable for a potential housing site.  This is useful farmland outside the boundary of Bawdrip. This is very clear on the map.

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6. I was told the school was happy for kids to walk up to the school and parents would be happy to use the new car park - is this true?

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As most villagers know, parents dropping their children off at the school will generally park (or “abandon” their cars) as close to the school as possible.  They do not use the fishermen’s car park further down Bradney Lane.  It is not the village’s responsibility to provide a car park for the school – that is the school’s responsibility.  Even if the car park was constructed, the parents and children would still have to walk up a single track road with no pavements to get to the school. 

This is a potential safety issue.  It is likely that parents would continue to drop their children off as close as possible to the school rather than park in a car park a bit further away.

 

7. But it's open countryside - can that be built on? I was told there is a need for a village hall and that would cover any planning problems?

 

As we understand it, having reviewed SDC’s own policy and the SDC’s Local Plan 2011 – 2032 (“Local Plan”) National Planning Policy Framework (“NPPF”), any form of development on countryside land is not generally considered to be sustainable or viable.  SDC states that the minimal need for countryside housing in Sedgemoor (the entire district) had been met as at 1 April 2015.  This “need” was for 276 houses in total throughout the whole district for the period 2011 to 2032.  There is no identified need for housing within the countryside in Sedgemoor. 

 

The landowner appears to seek to rely on SDC’s Placemaking Policy T4 to get around the planning restrictions relating to countryside sites.  Certainly, at least one of his agents was very keen to point to that policy when asked any question about planning.  This is a problem for the landowner, the reason being that Policy T4 applies to housing within Tier 4 Settlements. 

The proposed site is not within a Tier 4 Settlement – it is in open countryside.  That being said, T4 very clearly states that “affordable housing proposals outside but well related to settlement boundaries will be supported only where it is demonstrated that it meets all 6 of the following criteria:

 

1.       It fulfils an identified local housing need for affordable housing as evidenced by an up to date assessment of local housing needs agreed with the District Council; AND

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2.       The scale of development should be appropriate to the size, accessibility, character and physical identity of the settlement; AND

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3.       The proposal is well related to and complements the existing built form of the settlement, providing opportunities for walking and cycling to local services and facilities; AND

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4.      Supports where appropriate access to local job opportunities, including opportunities for on-site provision; AND

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5.       The development appropriately contributes to local infrastructure priorities identified, for example, in Neighbourhood plans or in agreement with Parish Councils; AND

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6.       Maintains and where appropriate incorporates enhancements to the local environment, landscape and historic environment, including where appropriate habitat creation and community woodland planting.

 

T4 goes on to say that “exceptionally sites that deliver other local infrastructure priorities instead of affordable housing as agreed with the relevant Parish Council may be acceptable subject to considerations above”.

 

It is clear therefore that not only does this site not fall within a Tier 4 Settlement, but it is unable to meet any of the 6 criteria set by SDC and therefore does not fall within the T4 exception. 

 

The landowner’s agents appear to be misinformed in this regard.

 

8.      Can the roads be changed that much without considerable problems, planning and road safety?  Also, with access and traffic issues, is it safe?  The agents said that pavements would be installed and there might be extra traffic calming required in the village.  How is this possible?

 

Good question.  Stone Drove is a single track drove, essentially a track, providing access to 6 houses and Skylark Meadow.  It is not an A road, or even a B road.  We are unsure how this single track drove could be upgraded to support access to 10 more houses, a village hall and car park and the over spill parking form the new houses and hall, the developers said they would need to park on Stone Drove or Bradney Lane. 

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Bradney Lane is also a single track road.  There is a verge and ditch on one side – traffic can only pass at one point where there is a passing area.  Quite how this could be upgraded to support this development is unclear.

 

9.      Who will pay to fit out - and who looks after (maintenance, bills, insurance, accounts, alcohol licence, etc) the new village hall/play area if built?

 

The landowner appears not to have considered this point.  Clarification will need to be sought from him on these points.  He appears not to have consulted with the group responsible for looking into alternative venues for a village hall and/or refurbishment of the parish hall or the new community hub that may soon be at the school.

 

A response will be provided to this question when information has been obtained from the landowner.

 

10.  How much would it cost to build and fit the village hall if all we are provided with is a car park and a steel frame building? How will this money be raised, and by who,?  How long would it take to fundraise and build/complete the village hall?

 

See above.  Again, this is unclear and clarification needs to be sought from the landowner.

 

11.  How is it possible for houses to be built on a flood plain?

 

We don’t believe it is.  See information elsewhere on the site regarding flood plain 3b and development.

 

12. I don't agree with this proposal and I want to object. What happens next,  What can I do now?

 

You should write to the Parish Council (email addresses are below) setting out your objection and the reasons for it.  Feel free to use any information from this site as a basis of your letter (template letters will be provided in due course). 

 

Wyg, the landowner’s agents, are asking for comments by 24 March.  You can submit your comments to them by email (planning.wellington@wyg.com).  Again, set out your objections and the reasons for them. Then, the  application is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment, this may take up to 16 weeks.  Once the developers have all the information they require regarding the application it will move on to the planning stage.

 

A group of local residents might be planning to arrange a meeting at the Parish Hall in coming weeks to provide information relevant to this proposal to anyone with an interest in the village and what happens to is  – including planning policies, process, reasons for objections, the real facts. Keep an eye on this website for further details and dates. 

 

13. Do I need to contact anyone else?

 

See above – you should contact the Parish Council richard@bawdrip.org and parishclerk@bawdrip.org.uk and Wyg planning.wellington@wyg.com at this stage.  Further down the line, and if a planning application is made, it will be worth contacting bodies such as the Environment Agency, ward councillors, Plantlife (owners of Skylark Meadow), Natural England, Somerset Rivers Authority, Somerset Highways, FLAG (Flooding on the Levels Action Group), etc.  Again, information will be provided on this site if and when that time comes.

 

14. I love green spaces and open countryside – it’s the reason I moved to the village - but I’m not sure what I can do.  Are there any local groups or online help?

 

There is an action group dealing with flooding on the levels – FLAG (www.flagsomerset.org.uk).  We have set up an @bawdrip twitter page and a village-of-bawdrip Instagram page.  We will update this site with further information as and when we receive it. More Information on Bawdrip's Countryside can be found here.

 

15. How did all this come about, why now?

 

The Parish Council wrote to local landowners asking if they would be willing to donate a small parcel of land to the village for a new village hall. We understand that the only response came from Mr Bradford, not with a donation of a parcel of land, but with a proposal to incorporate a new village hall within a proposed major residential development, including a car park and children’s play area. We can only imagine that this was not what the Parish Council anticipated when they wrote to local landowners.  There was no suggestion that there was a need for further housing in open countryside outside the village. 

 

16. Some of us in the village had leaflets promoting this development, but some of my neighbours did not. Why is that?

 

It appears as if promotional leaflets were not delivered to those properties bordering the site, presumably as those residents were likely to object to this proposal.  The landowner wants to be able to convince the Parish Council that the village is behind this proposal.  In doing so, he will not want negative feedback. 

 

17. Why aren’t there any plans to secure the car park?  Couldn’t this result in problems with anti-social behaviour, travellers, litter, noise disturbance?

 

We don’t know why this has not been considered. There is a real potential for problems here and consideration needs to be given to security for this site, we know that local sites are used for anti-social behavior, fly tipping, litter etc., This will get worse as new developments and fast-food outlets open nearby in Dunball.

 

18. If it is on a flood plain, how will anyone get insurance?  How is it possible to build a public building on a flood plain?

 

Good question – the landowner will need to give consideration to the potential problem in insuring any building on this site, particularly a village hall.  The second point is answered above and elsewhere on this site.

 

19. Is there a need for more houses in Sedgemoor? They said there was a great need.

 

The Council has an adopted plan for dealing with any housing need within the District.  That plan, and their own strategic assessments, identified no need for housing within the Tier 4 settlement of Bawdrip or the open countryside around the settlement. But other sites have been built on in neighboring Polden villages edges, with 1000's of new homes planned around Bridgwater, and 125 houses to the north of Cossington Lane, and one for 95 homes on Woolavington Road - Two appeals were lodged in July 2020, though revised plans for each of the sites are still to be debated by councillors. The council granted permission in September 2020 for a further 175 homes on the B3141 Woolavington Hill, which will include the creation of a new roundabout to replace the existing junction with the A39 Bath Road.

 

20. I was told at the consultation this is part of the village plan.  What's that?

 

Again, that is not accurate.  There is no village plan (or more accurately, Parish Plan) for Bawdrip, purely because it is accepted that there is no identified need for further housing in the village or surrounding countryside. Although a brown field site is for sale with Detailed planning permission for the construction of 8 dwellings on New Road, but this is within the boundary of the village and has still not sold to date.

 

21. Can I just sign something or email something that might help?

 

We will be adding template letters to this website that you are able to use in putting forward any objection – both at this stage and, if necessary, at the planning stage.  Please feel free to use them or any part of the site, all photos, images, and text is free to use and post elsewhere.

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Do not be mistaken in thinking that if this application is granted, that will be the end of it.  It won’t, as it will create a precedent for any local landowner to apply to develop and forever destroy our beautiful countryside. 

 

SDC have already given the green light to a new residential development of 8 houses at a site in New Road, despite local objections.  If you don’t want this proposal to go the same way, with the possibility of the village extending far beyond its settlement boundaries in coming years, please let the Parish Council know how you feel  – you can email the Parish Clerk (Graham Jarvis) on parishclerk@bawdrip.org.uk or g.rinsojarvis@btinternet.com. Richard Culverhouse, Chairman of the Parish Council can be contacted at richard@bawdrip.org. All email address above are on the public Bawdrip Village website https://www.bawdrip.org.uk