MORE than £13m of new infrastructure is needed to support the 2,900 new homes planned for West Somerset, it was revealed this week.

West Somerset District Council published its Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2017 which outlines plans for a pedestrian bridges, a community hall and a multi-million pound flood alleviation project.

The plans will be discussed at the council's Local Development Panel meeting which takes place at the Council Chamber in Williton on Wednesday, February 1 at 2.30pm.

In West Somerset, the Local Plan has identified the need for 2,900 new homes in West Somerset to be built by 2032.

This includes plans for 750 homes in Minehead and Alcombe, 290 at Watchet on a site at Parsonage Farm and a further 406 in Williton.

There are also additional sites south of Periton Road in Minehead and to the West of Watchet at Cleeve Hill likely to be developed on but the number of homes is yet to be identified.

In Minehead, a new distributor road is planned to link the new development to the A39 while the Infrastructure Delivery Plan identifies that a new Community Hall worth £650,000 would be built to support the development.

However it is not expected any of this money will come from public funding, and it is expected developer contributions through planning obligations or potentially through a new Community Infrastructure Levy will be the main source of funding.

Other assets identified include a new pedestrian bridge that is estimated to cost between £500k and £1m to go over the West Somerset Railway to serve the additional development to the south of the town.

Between £3m and £4m has been identified to help alleviate flooding from the Doniford and Monksilver streams, possibly by creating a new diversion channel around the north of the town or an upstream detention reservoir.

The council is facing difficult decisions as it prepares it budget for the coming year with cuts to its general funding from central government, New Homes Bonus and retained business rates.

As a result the Council is proposing to increase average Band D Council Tax by 3.44 per cent or £5 a year, and using some of its reserves to make sure it can continue to deliver services.

Cllr Anthony Trollope-Bellew, leader of the council, said: “The challenges West Somerset Council faces are well documented.

"This coming year we are facing substantial reductions in our core funding while the year after that looks extremely difficult.

“West Somerset is simply too small in terms of population, in a very large geographical area to remain viable. The financial facts speak for themselves."