Concerned residents near Burnham-On-Sea have this week flocked to a meeting to air their concerns about plans to build 25 new homes in their village.
Over 30 Berrow villagers attended a meeting on Monday where the Parish Council considered controversial plans for the new housing developmment.
48 letters of objection have been sent to Sedgemoor District Council regarding the scheme, including one from Burnham’s MP Tessa Munt.
S.Notaro Limited is seeking full planning permission for the new homes on land to the east of Berrow’s Rose Tree Paddock. The plans include 25 homes, new garages and 40 car parking spaces.
But residents and parish councillors are concerned. “There is no support for the scheme from residents or the Parish Council – the scheme has recently been amended by the developer, but our objections remain,” said Council Chairman Barry Kew.
“The gardens of nearby homes already flood during the winter and, to mitigate the flood risk to new properties, the developer proposes to raise the new buildings by one metre. Existing residents are worried that this will increase the flood risk in the village as water drains off from the new homes to the existing properties.”
“Nearby residents are also worried about the extra vehicles that will be generated in the area, which is already busy during school times,” he said.
“Residents are also unhappy about overlooking from the new homes, the minimal distance between the properties, and it’s questioned why this ‘greenfield’ site is being considered for development when other ‘brownfield’ sites exist across the district.”
