'Protected' wedge may be site for 18,000 homes

A 50-year battle to protect a piece of green land in Somerset may be lost – because the Government wants to hit its house-building targets in Somerset.

The open land that sits on Taunton’s edge next to pretty Vivary Park could be sacrificed for a 600-home housing development in a damning blow to campaigners.

The “Vivary Green Wedge” is in the Mountfields and Killams area of the town and has long been a source of conflict, with householders in the South Road area fighting tooth and nail to successfully keep it out of developers’ claws for the past 50 years.

But it appears their luck may finally have run out as the local council has suggested that the land be included in a controversial Government blueprint which demands 18,000 houses need to be built in Taunton by 2026.

About 500 people turned up to a protest meeting to discuss what could be done to fight the plans, currently being considered by Taunton Deane Borough Council.

Speaking after Sunday’s meeting Mike Threlfall of the South Road Residents’ Association, said: “We are trying to save this land from development. It’s a lovely bit of land bordered by two streams. It is green space and its development has been resisted for 50 years.

“Now Taunton Deane Borough Council says it will agree to houses being built there because they are under pressure from the Government.

“We put out a few flyers and only expected about 120 people to turn out for the protest but there were around 500 here.”

A final decision has yet to be reached and the council is currently consulting local people on the future development of the district over the next 16 years.”

Identified as potential sites

The blueprint – called the Regional Spatial Strategy – dictates that space needs to be made for 18,000 new dwellings in Taunton by 2026.

A council spokeswoman said: “A number of areas in and around Taunton have been identified as potential sites for development and the Mountfields and Killams area is among these. The site could accommodate some 600 homes.

“The outline plan also makes provision for traffic accessing Mountfields Farm by creating a link from Killams Drive, taking heavy goods vehicles away from the tight bends and narrow lanes that have to be used at present.

“This site is not a key part of the Green Wedge in terms of its landscape impact – at the local plan public inquiry the inspector accepted that development on the site would not be visible from Cotlake Hill in the centre of the Green Wedge.

“The majority of the Wedge will remain intact and continue to perform its variety of policy functions.”

The policy protecting the Green Wedge is about 30 years old – but this has not prevented some developments in the past; like Bishop Fox’s School and Killams Drive.

Residents were invited to inspect and comment on the Killams and Mountfields proposals at an event on January 21.

However the consultation period runs until February 28.

People can view all the relevant documents by logging on to the council’s consultation website, which can be found via www.tauntondeane.gov.uk

For those without online access, draft documents and information will still be made available at all libraries across the borough, in community offices in Wellington and Wiveliscombe, the resource centres in Priorswood and Halcon and at Deane House.

People can write in to the strategy team to be added as a contact to be notified by letter – Strategy (LDF), the Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton TA1 1HE.

There will be another round of consultation in the autumn of 2010 before the document is submitted to the Secretary of State.