LIKE many of my fellow Wellington residents, I was hugely dismayed to learn of Taunton Deane Borough Council's recent u-turn during the Appeal Hearing last week against its original refusal of large, national housing developer Gladman's request for planning permission for homes at the contentious Bagley Road site in Rockwell Green, Wellington.

Having vehemently opposed the plan previously, TDBC appears to have given in with scarcely a word, an action which may well open the flood-gates to similar schemes to erect new developments on land outside that set aside in the council's own five-year core strategy, thus making a nonsense of having any core plan in the first place!


READ MORE: Council backs down over planning bid for Bagley Road, Wellington


This sudden capitulation has been slammed not only by local Wellington Town Councillors of all political persuasions, but also some Conservatives who currently hold the reins of power at TDBC, and it is an outcome which can only add further to the impression of meltdown from the top as instanced by the sudden disappearance of Councillor Habgood - hitherto holding the portfolio for planning and transport - just this last week. 

Frankly, to my mind, none of us would be blamed for thinking that the current mess over Brexit at Westminster is being mirrored here, at home, within our own local government echelons.


READ MORE: Second Gladman appeal over housing bid set to get underway


Instead of the deepening Brexit turmoil which nationally is distracting attention from a whole wealth of other urgent issues - eg. our looming social care crisis - here we have the ill-thought out merger with West Somerset which is rather doing the same in microcosm, resulting in an eye-off-ball Conservative-authored debacle like the one at Bagley Green.

As a council tax payer and Liberal Democrat, I feel Taunton Deane deserves a great deal better than it's getting at the moment. Time for a change?

JF POCOCK
Wellington