SIXTEEN new homes have been approved for the village of Washford despite objections from residents and the parish council.


West Somerset District Council’s planning committee approved two separate but linked outline applications for 10 new affordable homes on land off Huish Mews and a further six homes for land on the former nursery at the East end of the village at its meeting on Thursday.


However, the Old Cleeve Parish Council and local residents raised numerous concerns about both applications regarding congestion, a new footpath, size of the dwellings, flooding and sewerage issues and concerns over the speed limit.


Old Cleeve parish councillor Phil Gannon, who worked as a chartered surveyor, said: “I am disgusted at the way these applications have been processed.


“Despite objections raised during consultations held, the applications comes before you [the planning committee] largely unchanged.”
Mr Gannon said councillors would not be able to make a judgement on the application without more information.


“The one bedroom dwellings are not much larger than a garage, affordable housing should not mean second rate housing,” Mr Gannon said.


Local resident Phil Brown said that there were problems with a sewerage system along Huish Mews which he said was "not fit for purpose," and that a stock-proof fence and flooding maintenance would need to added for the new proposed new pedestrian path.


However speaking on behalf of the developer, Savills, Steve Briggs, said neither the Environment Agency or Highways had raised objections, and the proposal would help West Somerset meet its affordable housing need as well as bringing financial benefits to the local school via section 106 money.


Cllr Stewart Dowding said: “We need houses and they have to go somewhere but ten houses seems to be a lot for that amount of space,” with Cllr Keith Turner adding: “We have to build another 2,000 new homes in West Somerset, and in Williton, Watchet and Minehead and they don’t want them either. But we have to build them sometime.”


The Huish Mews application was approved by seven votes to one and the Nursery site was passed unanimously with conditions relating to the maintenance of the new footpath, appropriate lighting, stock-proof fencing and reinforcement at the farm crossing.