A plan to build up to 73 homes on fields off Orchard Lea in Wells is facing a wave of objections, with residents warning over road safety, drainage, wildlife loss and damage to the city's landscape.

OG Group, on behalf of Rubix Land Ltd, has applied to Somerset Council for outline permission for the scheme, which would include a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes, including affordable housing.

But as comments come in on the planning portal, opposition to the proposal is building.

A major flashpoint is access to the site, with several residents arguing Orchard Lea, Fir Tor Avenue and Ash Lane are not suitable for a development of this size.

Richard Wynn-Jones said the sole vehicular access via Orchard Lea was "fundamentally inappropriate" and warned the cul-de-sac was narrow and not designed to serve a scheme of this scale. He said the proposed development "may well give rise to junction failure" at Ash Lane and added that increased traffic would bring "a severe loss of residential amenity for existing homeowners through increased noise, vibration, and atmospheric pollution".

Beth McConnell, who said she lives next to the proposed access point, also raised alarms over the junction. She wrote: "There have already been a number of near-miss incidents at this location. Introducing a significant volume of additional vehicles from a large housing development would inevitably increase the likelihood of accidents."

Jack McConnell made a similar point, calling it a "dangerous" junction and warning that extra traffic would "significantly worsen an already hazardous situation".

Others focused on the effect on wildlife and biodiversity.

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Tara Folkard said the field was "not just a field - it is a thriving ecosystem". She wrote: "I regularly see deer, owls, and bats, and as a child I even named the many badgers that inhabited the field and the surrounding woodland."

Rob Harper said the development would "ruin a special landscape feature as well as endangering local wildlife - in particular badgers and deer", while Rachel Jarrett said the site could disrupt protected species and "lead to the decline of vulnerable populations that rely on this environment to survive".

One objector, Graham Allen, raised concerns about peregrine falcons nesting in a nearby quarry. He said: "It would be difficult for the developers to maintain this exclusion during building work, and it would be doubtful if this zone would be respected once building work was completed."

Allen said the site could see "major disruption during the building process" and warned that alterations to drainage and water systems could be "particularly acute in the extremes of weather caused by global warming".

Celia Wride said she was worried about "water run-off from the building of houses onto the main Wookey Hole Road", adding: "The weather is changing and more rain seems to be happening each year - the control of water will be a problem."

Richard Wynn-Jones also warned that building over the site would reduce the amount of open ground available to absorb water flowing down from the Mendips, saying the flood risk to lower-lying properties would be "greatly increased".

Landscape harm is another repeated theme in the objections.

Fiona Bevan said the field is "visible for miles when looking towards Wells and the Mendips" and warned: "Any development of this field will change this lovely view."

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Christopher Hawkings said the proposal would have "an enormous impact upon the landscape" and accused the scheme of showing "no understanding of, or empathy with the unique character of Wells and its very special location in the surrounding landscape".

Ross Triggol called it "a devastatingly short-sighted decision to destroy something so beautiful and natural for the sake of more housing", adding: "To me this feels as mad as suggesting we build housing on the Cathedral green."

Several residents also argued the scheme clashes with existing planning policy and the city's agreed growth strategy.

Tara Folkard said the site lies outside the relevant development boundary and "conflicts with the City of Wells Neighbourhood Plan". Richard Wynn-Jones said the land was not a preferred allocation and argued that granting consent would "undermine the plan-led system".

There is support on the portal too, though it is limited.

Nick Greene backed the application, saying Wells "desperately needs continued development and new houses suitable for families". He added that the site's location near The Blue School, along with green space and a play area, made it "perfect for young families".

The application remains under consideration by Somerset Council under reference 2026/0531/OUT.

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