Ban on developments (From Chard & Ilminster News)

Ban on developments

9:26pm Monday 20th August 2007 in Chard By Steve Sowden

TOWN planners have said that there should be a ban on any more housing developments being given the go-ahead in an area of Chard until improvements are made to roads.

Members of Chard Town Council's planning and highways committee met last week where two applications were discussed relating to the Holbear area off Forton Road.

Cllr Jill Shortland, who is also leader of Somerset County Council, said: "I have had a number of comments from residents about this and they are concerned.

"There has been a highways inspection which shows that that area cannot cope with any further developments at the present time.

"There is a need for better traffic calming measures, there are serious safety issues and there are a lot of considerable difficulties in that area."

The narrow roads and lack of turning facilities mean that some motorists have to reverse back onto Forton Road and Cllr Shortland said that the safety of children out playing was being put at risk.

Cllr Shortland added: "Holbear is already over-developed and the highways department says that there should not be any more development there until the state of the road and the junction is improved.

"I can give out a list as long as my arm as to why we should object to planning proposals for that area.

"We should put a marker down and say we won't support any more applications for Holbear at the present time until things change down there."

Planning committee chairman, Cllr Dave Keitch, said: "We should put something down in stone about future developments at Holbear."

But councillors did agree however to support an application, subject to conditions, for the demolition of existing buildings and building of one chalet bungalow at Crest View in Forton Road.

The proposal had already been given outline permission, but a few other issues had to be discussed under a new application known as 'reserved matters.' Cllr Shortland said: "If this wasn't just a 'reserved matters' application then I wouldn't be supporting it."

But a separate proposal for the building of a home on land at Merrivale, Holbear, was opposed by councillors.