New homes to be built in Lympsham, despite flood risk

The plans were submitted just over three years ago

A small village is set to expand after plans for 40 new homes were approved.

The plans to build houses in Lympsham were narrowly approved on July 21, just over three years after they were first submitted.

There are concerns about the number of houses that will be built, as well as high risk of flooding in the area.

A local resident said the new houses will be "generating demand for local services and employment on a scale that cannot be met".

The site lies on Lympsham Road near the A370 Bridgwater Road, which connects Weston-super-Mare to the A38 leading to Bridgwater and Cheddar.

The plans include 16 "local needs affordable homes", which will be offered to people with close connections to the village.

In July 2019, Strongvox Homes Ltd, JDW Puddy & AE Reader submitted plans to build 50 homes on the Beavers Lodge Farm site in Lympsham, between Highbridge and Weston-super-Mare.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the developers downgraded their plans to 40 homes after extensive discussions with planning officers at Sedgemoor District Council and several rounds of public consultation.

Speaking on behalf of Lympsham Parish Council, Heather Allsop said the justification for the homes was "very questionable indeed", in light of much of the site being deemed at high risk of flooding by the Environment Agency (EA).

Lympsham is the nearest village to the River Axe before it reaches the Somerset coast.

Ms Allsop said: "We are a village at risk of tidal flooding, and the EA does not guarantee regional flood defences will protect us from exceptional flood events

"During the summer, we have an influx of caravans, motorhomes and double-decker buses using this road as a shortcut to Brean. This can only add to the congestion", she added.