'Catastrophic' Bagley Road planning appeal delayed AGAIN

Gladman Developments Ltd applied for permission to build 205 homes and 60 'apartments with care' on land near Bagley Road, Rockwell Green, but Taunton Deane planners refused the application in April 2017 as it fell outside of the allocated development area.

Gladman then decided to appeal the decision, and the public enquiry which started on February 13 2017 and was expected to last four days.

But the appeal was adjourned after a day to allow for more time to gather evidence after the two parties disagreed over the council's provision for homes for the elderly.

It started again on April 23, but was adjourned again after one of TDBC's witnesses was unable to attend due to illness.

Residents will now have to wait until July to get started again.

Planning inspector Phillip Ware said at the beginning of the hearing that the witness in question – who was not named – “would not be available for the foreseeable future”, and spent most of the following two hours in private discussion with the two sides’ barristers.

He subsequently added that it was “out of the question” that someone else could speak in the witness’ place, and that the council had done all that it could to inform both him and the developer when the situation arose.

One councillor believes the decision has potential to influence other appeals taking place.

He says it would become 'open season' for other developers that have been rejected for not being included in the Deane's Site Allocation Development map.

Wellington and county Cllr John Thorne said: "Victory for Gladman could be a catastrophe for the whole of Taunton Deane.

"If the developer wins this appeal, every community across the Deane will be at risk of unwanted housing developments.

"It would rip up the existing masterplan showing where new housing should go, and mean that almost every vacant plot of land could be at risk of other developers following suit. It would literally be open season in the Deane."