A petition signed by over 100 Brent Knoll residents, along with more than 70 formal objections, has been submitted in opposition to a controversial new housing scheme in the village.
Coln Residential wants to build 18 new homes at the junction of the A38 and Brent Street in the village.
According to one of those objectors, “the ball is now in the court of the Sedgemoor planning process to decide whether to listen to the views of the community, or ignore them.”
David Sturgess, who has lived in Brent Street for more than two decades, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This is the third time that Coln has submitted a development plan for this hugely sensitive site, which is outside the development zone for our village.”
“Coln’s application is on what is called a P4 basis – designed for developments on sites outside the development zone, which should be community-led or supported. This scheme has overwhelming community opposition”, he added.
He says the community, on three occasions, has voiced its opposition to building homes on this site, with opponents citing the danger posed by an access so close to the busy A38 road junction, the threat to the already sensitive drainage issue in the village, and the lack of any safe pedestrian access for home-buyers to the village facilities.
“This scheme was not community led, and is community opposed. We all recognise the value of delivering affordable homes for our young people and key workers (like teachers, nurses, policemen, and firefighters): there are other sites in the village where those affordable homes could be provided, without all the dangers threatened by this scheme”, said Mr Sturgess.
“For the third time, Coln has come back with another attempt to turn a profit from having purchased this small, flood-prone field – and, for the third time, the community of Brent Knoll has voiced its opposition.”
Other objectors have included the Axe-Brue Drainage Board, the Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium, and the National Trust – who own Brent Knoll. Even Sedgemoor District Council’s own Environmental Health team have insisted on a long list of requirements.
