PLANS for 40 new affordable homes to be built on land at Seaward Way have been approved in principle.

The proposals were discussed at the final West Somerset Council planning meeting on Thursday, March 28, before the Somerset West and Taunton Council came into effect on Monday (April 1).

The land is owned by West Somerset Council and plans include 24 dwellings for social rent and 16 for shared ownership.

Access would be provided from Luttrell Way, the road which serves the community hospital and Premier Inn. The proposals include a mix of 1,2,3,and 4 bedroom houses and bungalows, as well as two bridges crossing a rhyne bordering the site, to link with the footway on Seaward Way.

It was agreed by the planning committee to approve the development in principle, with full authority delegated to the assistant director for planning and the environment subject to further information about traffic at the site being submitted.

It is likely the development would see an increase of 320 vehicle movements a day heading on to Seaward Way, which the Highway Authority say is ‘unlikely to have a severe impact’.

However the Highways Authority has raised concerns over the number of parking spaces allocated, which falls short of the ‘optimum number’ for a development of this size.