Inspectors refuse appeal over plan for housing

Springway Lane is close to two former airfields and an industrial site

Plans for 21 new homes on land between two Somerset villages have been refused.

Somerset Council initially turned down proposals for the development in December 2023, citing the loss of employment land and flood risk.

Applicant Garry Baird appealed the decision but the Planning Inspectorate has backed the council's decision to block homes being built on on the Springway Industrial Estate in Westonzoyland.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Baird said he would not further appeal the ruling because he could not afford the cost of taking it to court.

The Planning Inspectorate raised concerns over the accessibility of the rural site

Mr Baird, who lives in Portishead, said he had wanted to build affordable houses with gardens as a way of "giving back to the community".

The site lies to the south of Springfield Farm, just off the busy A372 which links Bridgwater to Langport via Westonzoyland and its neighbouring villages, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Baird owns the land and the industrial estate and described the council's original argument of a loss of employment land as a "red herring".

He said he used to run a concrete factory there and was a large employer in the area.

In refusing the plans, government planning inspectors raised concerns over the accessibility of the "rural location" saying they felt it would fail to provide sustainable travel.

They said homes would be too close to an industrial site and had concerns over the suitability of access to the main road, drainage, increased traffic, and harm to the rural character of the area.