AN APPLICATION to build 200 new homes in Chard has been approved by the district council despite fears the local infrastructure will not be able to cope.

The outline planning application for the land north of Tatworth Road and adjacent to Forton Road was approved at a South Somerset District Council Area West Committee meeting last Wednesday.

At the same meeting, a separate planning application for 72 houses at Crewkerne Road was rejected.

Chard town councillor Sue Wyatt is one of the representatives for Holyrood Ward, the location of the proposed 200 house development.

She said: “The road on Tatworth Road is inadequate. For the people coming from Chardstock lane it is a blind spot.

“There is more infrastructure needed. We have not got adequate school spaces, and doctor’s surgeries.

“I can’t speak for others, but at mine there is already a long wait for an appointment.”

The application was automatically referred to district council as it is a proposal for up to 200 homes and so constitutes a 'major-major' application.

Gladman Developments has estimated the construction cost will be £18.9m.

Mayor of Chard, Cllr Dave Bulmer, said: “This is part of the local plan. It is only an outline plan at this stage.

“When we get to the full planning application stage we will have to look at how the road is laid out, and how it works with the A358 and possibly Forton Road. The pressure on where it joins A358 by St Mary’s Church, that is a bit of a concern for me.

“The proposal of development – that, I am fully supportive of.

"However, we need the other infrastructure with it and phasing of the eastern development area.

“There are supposed to be two new primary schools. We have got to have all the services in place.”

Cllr Bulmer is also a SSDC councillor and representative for Jocelyn ward where the 72 home proposal was made.

Talking to the Chard and Ilminster News about the rejected development, which was for land east of Tesco and North of the Numatic factory, he said: “I have been concerned for some time with this one because of the impact on Numatics, the nearby factory.

“I wasn’t at the meeting on Wednesday because I was in Romania, but I wrote a statement because of the impact on economic development this could have had.

“Numatic have progressed quite significantly over the last year or so. They have invested heavily in a new building for themselves, and they are one of the big employers in Chard.

“If that development went ahead, people would start complaining about issues with Numatic, which, even though Numatic were there first, they would be entitled to do.

“Therefore, with the economic development officer’s comments stating that he had clear concerns regarding the impact, I chose to agree with him.”