PLANS to build 136 homes on land at Cleeve Hill in Watchet are recommended for approval.

Planning officers at Somerset West and Taunton Council have produced a report ahead of the council’s planning committee meeting on Friday, January 30 at 1pm in Deane House, Taunton, where the proposal is recommended to go ahead, subject to a series of conditions.

The proposal is for 136 new dwellings with the creation of a new access road, associated infrastructure, new public rights of ways, pathways and cycleways, as well as open recreational space.

One of the key factors proposed is also the re-alignment of the existing public highway further inland, given the B3191’s current proximity to the cliffs facing coastal erosion.

There were a total of 58 letters of objection sent to the council ahead of the meeting, with concerns raised over the impact on traffic, access to GP appointments and school places, the loss of farmland and the instability of land.

Because the developer will providing essential infrastructure, in terms of relocating a section of the cliff-top road further inland, it is likely the developer will not be required to provide the 35 per cent affordable housing normally stipulated on large developments.

The proposal has been revised to site the road through the development, which should ensure far more long-term usability.

To view the full application, see the SWaT website are search application number 3/37/18/015.