Up to fourteen Burnham-On-Sea firms may close and the jobs of 30 people are threatened by plans to demolish two huge industrial units in the town, according to businesses at the site.
Burnham-On-Sea.com can reveal that a scheme due to go before Sedgemoor planners on Tuesday (March 13th) will see two large buildings at the Westmans Trading Estate in Love Lane, pictured, demolished – leaving scores of businesses with no home – in order to be replaced with more modern buildings.
But firms who are based at the site claim they have not been fully consulted about the plans and claim their livelihoods are under threat.
Peter Major of Major Motors, one of the companies, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “There’s a real possibility that these proposals will force some of us to go under. Up to ten businesses are threatened and the jobs of 30 people. It’s a very serious situation.”
And Philip Wright of Ace Windows added: “There’s a lot of concern here at the moment. We can’t just relocate for a few months and then return when the new buildings are in place. There’s no suitable temporary business accommodation in the area.”
Sedgemoor Planning Case Officer Con McStay is recommending that the application to demolish and rebuild is granted approval. The proposals would see the demolition of two existing buildings, plus the erection of two new modern buildings to form a total of ten units spread over two floors for the front building, and seven units, using both floors, for the rear building – a space of 1,914.2sqm.
Planners have received one letter of objection, plus four ‘letters of concern’. There is also concern about the possible release of asbestos dust when the aging buildings are demolished.
Sedgemoor’s Economic Development Officer has supported the plans, saying there is a need for modern business units in Burnham-On-Sea. The officer added that the plans support the aims of regeneration for the town, and the aims of the Regional Economic Strategy.
Burnham and Highbridge Town Council has also supported the plans, but says it wants restrictions on working hours at the site since it is located within a residential area.
Planning permission was granted in January 2007 for one replacement industrial building at the rear of the site, and the current application is for the two older buildings at the front of the site (pictured at the top of this page).
The applicant, Moorland Sanitary Steam Laundry Ltd, says it wants to remove the run down buildings at the front and middle of the site and replace them with “new, modern and more attractive units.”
It says the plans are in the best interests of firms at the site and the town as a whole, and that it envisages existing companies may be moved to another new industrial unit – which was granted planning permission in January – at the rear of the site during the works.
But firms are questionining whether they can all move in to the one industrial unit and continue to run their businesses.
