A total of 100 new homes will be built on the western edge of Wells after Mendip councillors voted to approve amended plans.

Gladman Developments put forward outline plans for 100 homes on the B3139 Elm Close, not far from two other proposed major developments on the edge of the city.

Mendip District Council's planning board deferred a decision on the plans in November 2019, giving the developers up to six months to address their concerns.

But councillors have now stated the development can proceed after agreeing to a number of changes put forward by the developer.

When the plans were first discussed in November, planning board members asked the developer to come back with improvements in the following areas:

• Providing solar panels for the new homes
• Increasing the amount of green space either within the site or elsewhere
• Providing an additional access road onto Elm Close
• Installing traffic calming measures to slow traffic moving through the site
• Providing a contribution towards community facilities
• Providing funding for public transport in the local area

Members of the planning board discussed the amended plans in Shepton Mallet on Wednesday evening (January 22).

Gladman stated it would provide details about solar panel provision at reserved matters stage, where more detailed plans involving the layout, design and size of the new homes will be determined.

It has also agreed to an additional access road, paying £81,852 towards green space being provided nearby, and providing £16,500 towards the local 67 bus route – five times the current level of annual subsidy provided by St Cuthbert Out Parish Council.

Following a request by said council, the developer has also agreed to have a shared pedestrian and cycle route running along the whole northern site of the site, and has submitted plans for a new crossing to link the site safely to the A371 Portway.

Wookey Parish Council has objected to the plans, claiming local schools are "over capacity" even without more building, and arguing that brownfield sites (such as the Tincknells site in Wells city centre) should be developed first.

Nevertheless, the board voted to grant permission to the outline plans.

A total of 220 homes will be built by Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey on the northern side of Portway following a decision by the same board in September.

The council is in the process of reviewing its Local Plan, which sets out how many new homes will be needed across the district over the next two decades.

Officers admitted in early-January that the number of new houses which would have to be delivered each year would be more than 43 per cent higher than originally proposed.

Speaking after the planning board meeting, council leader Ros Wyke said the authority could soon get its plan back on track in light of this and other major schemes in the pipeline.

She said: "We would like to reassure residents that while we are responding to the revised numbers, we will do so in a timely way.

"There is a fine balancing act here. We have no control on the housing numbers imposed on us.

"We do, however, recognise such developments inevitably put considerable strain on existing communities, and impact on infrastructure, the landscape and the environment."