PLANS for nearly 50 new homes on the western edge of Wells have been thrown out over road safety fears and a lack of funding for new cycle routes.

Wells LVA LLP and Little Burcott Ltd. applied in August 2023 for outline permission to build 47 new homes on the B3139 Elm Close, near the junction with Gypsy Lane.

Somerset Council's planning committee east (which handles major applications within the former Mendip area) voted in early-October to delay a decision, asking for alternative access arrangements to come forward to replace the "cheeky" and "outrageous" original designs.

After running out of time to debate the revised plans in early-November, the same committee met in Shepton Mallet on Tuesday morning (December 3) to discuss the updated application.

Following a lengthy and often heated debate, the committee narrowly voted to refuse permission, citing fears of road safety, landscape impact, flooding and a lack of funding for the Strawberry Line and other local cycle routes.

The site lies to the west of a planned development of 100 homes which secured outline planning permission in December 2023 – with David Wilson Homes putting forward amended proposals in October.

Under the proposals, the existing junction with Gypsy Lane would have been completely remodelled to create a new T-junction, with a new cycle lane which will run along the southern side of Elm Close (including the neighbouring development site).

Following negotiations, the developers agreed to provide more than £11,000 of additional funding towards active travel, which will be directed towards enhancing and extending the Strawberry Line route which runs through the city.

Gypsy Lane would remain accessible via a new junction within the housing estate, and the existing public right of way through the site will be upgraded, providing a safe pedestrian route to Burcott Lane.

The homes would have fanned out from the new access route, with the southern edge being set aside for public open space, attenuation ponds and a green buffer to provide a soft edge between Wells and the neighbouring village of Wookey.

Out of the 47 homes planned for the site, 19 were intended to be affordable – the equivalent of 40 per cent of all properties.

Neither this site nor the David Wilson Homes site are identified for housing within the Mendip Local Plan Part II, which was ratified by councillors in December 2021.

First public speaker Stephen Morfey, who lives on Gypsy Lane with his family, told the committee on Tuesday (December 3) that there was still "significant uncertainty" over whether the new access arrangements could be safely delivered without either damaging his property or putting other drivers at risk.

He said: "Another vehicle accident occurred on Burcott Lane last week.

"The traffic congestion and safety remains a major concern for me and my family – this needs to be fully assessed and properly documented before outline planning permission is accepted."

Brian Underwood, who has lived near the site for 56 years, opined: "This site is well outside of the city boundary, extending into open countryside, and it reduces the green gap between Wells and Wookey.

"This will be visible for miles and have a huge adverse effect on the landscape compared to the New House Farm site [where 50 homes were recently approved]. The whole nature of the area would be changed to the detriment of everybody.

"Residents are bound to drive into the town centre rather than walk in to do their shopping. The traffic is already bad enough in Wells.

"Localised flooding would get much worse if this field is built upon."

Councillor Ros Wyke (whose Mendip West division includes the site) expressed regret that the former Mendip area was not covered by the community infrastructure levy (CIL), reducing councillors' ability to deliver much-needed amenities as part of new housing developers.

She said: "Once you take out the education and NHS contributions, there's no real contribution to the wider community.

"Again and again, we see applications for much-needed new housing but with no community hall or other infrastructure. I feel we are missing a chance to do this – we need to get CIL in this area."

"I'm very happy with the Strawberry Line funding, but that works out at around £240 per house – which, compared to what you would pay as CIL in Taunton, is peanuts."

Councillor Edric Hobbs (Mendip Hills) concurred: "I'd like to see a far greater contribution to the Strawberry Line, which currently costs around £150,000 a kilometre to build."

Councillor Tony Robbins (who represents the same division) added: "We can't get away from the fact that this entrance is very narrow.

"I drove down Elm Close on Sunday [December 1] to have a look, and I can't see how this will work.

"I used to live in Wookey a long time ago, so I know the roads well. If you go beyond Gypsy Lane, the road dips away and you can't see that junction – it's a very uneven road, and Elm Close is known locally for dangerous driving."

Officers suggested that councillors could approve the plans with a proviso that they carry out additional negotiations with the developers to secure more funding for the Strawberry Line and other active travel paths.

However, they warned that such negotiations could lead to the amount of affordable housing planned within the site being reduced.

Confronted by this, the committee voted to refuse permission by four votes to three, with one abstention.

The developers have not indicated whether they intend to challenge the decision by lodging an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.