More than 500 new homes could soon be coming to the eastern edge of Bridgwater – with no relief road to take the pressure off a congested route into the town centre. Sedgemoor District Council’s development committee voted in February 2023 to approve “preposterous” outline plans for up to 530 homes at Folletts Farm on Dunwear Lane, put forward jointly by Lance Alec Rainey House and Hannick Homes Developments Ltd.
After nearly two years of negotiations between the developers and Somerset Council (which replaced the district council in April 2023), the legal agreements surrounding this major developments have finally been signed off – including the level of contributions to Bridgwater’s local services. As part of the approved plans, improvements will be made to the crucial A372 in a bid to ease congestion into the town centre from the new homes and the neighbouring villages east of the M5.
But the plans have no provision for a relief road to connect the new homes to Squibbers Way, which would enable easier access to junction 24 of the motorway. Here’s everything you need to know:
What is being proposed as part of this new development?
(Image: MHP)
Under the agreed outline proposals, 530 new homes will be created to the south of the A372 Westonzoyland Road, bordered by the M5 to the east and Dunwear Lane to the west. The new homes will be accessed by a roundabout on the A372 which was completed in mid-2024 by Countryside Partnerships, as part of the Strawberry Grange site of 260 homes which it is building out to the north.
A spine road will run from north to south through the site, connected to Dunwear Lane via a new T-junction close to the approach to the roundabout. The spine road will not reconnect to Dunwear Lane at the southern end of the site, with numerous pedestrian and cycling links being provided in lieu of this.
A spokesman for Somerset Council said: “The junction of Dunwear Lane with the A372 is to be realigned, as will the junction of Somerville Way with Dunwear Lane, so the road into the estate will be given priority. There is no intention through this proposed development is that Dunwear Lane is to be downgraded.”
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
Due to viability issues surrounding the site, only ten per cent of the new homes will be affordable – the equivalent of 53 properties, and far below the 30 per cent standard set for new housing developments in Bridgwater. To mitigate this, the developers have agreed to provide just over £3m towards a new primary school, which will be delivered as part of a separate (as yet unapproved) development of 750 new homes by Edward Ware Homes between the Strawberry Grange site and the A39 Bath Road.
The signed legal agreements (known as a Section 106 agreement) also commits the developers to providing £700,000 towards the upgrade of the Dunball roundabout (which will be completed in November) and £883,445 towards “off-site highways improvements and enhancements to pedestrian and cycle connectivity”. There will also be £450,000 for play areas and associated equipment and a further £150,000 provided to more general public open space within the site.
Where will the “off-site highways improvements” be made?
Pedestrian crossing on the A372 Westonzoyland Road in Bridgwater
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
Somerset Council has confirmed that the funding for “off-site highways improvements” will be concentrated on the A372, rather then being used to partially fund any kind of relief road. The A372 is one of the main roads into Bridgwater, providing a vital link not just for local residents but those living in smaller towns and villages on the Somerset Levels, including Langport, Middlezoy and Westonzoyland.
Unlike other areas of Bridgwater, the east of the town has very little industry or employment outside of the local schools, care homes and the minor injuries unit – meaning people have to travel further to work, adding to congestion. A spokesman said: “The off-site highways improvements financial contribution is for off-site highway improvements to Westonzoyland Road and St John’s Street, along with other vehicle links to improve pedestrian and cycle connectivity. No specific scheme has been agreed as yet.”
Any improvements near St. John’s Street could be delivered in tandem with the final section of the town’s Celebration Mile and improvements to the bus interchange outside Bridgwater railway station, which have been raised by the town council and local MP Sir Ashley Fox respectively.
What about walking and cycling links?
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
At present, pedestrians and cyclists seeking to reach the town centre from the Folletts Farm site have two options. They can either brave the congested A372 towards the Celebration Mile, or travel south down Plum Lane and pick up the dedicated cycle path along the bank of the River Parrett, which leads to Salmon Parade and the A38 Broadway.
The Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign (BACC) has been pushing for improved cycle links across east Bridgwater for many years – but highlighted in December 2023 the difficulty of delivering a dedicated cycle route along the length of the A372, citing the lack of space between the main road and existing housing estates on either side. BACC member Colin Gummer stated at the time: “As with so many roads in the UK, this road was built before there was so much motor traffic around and so many people.
“There’s not the width there to give enough safe space for cycling as well as motor traffic.” As part of the agreed outline planning permission, the developers must put forward designs for improved pedestrian and cycling links leading from the new homes before any construction can begin.
There are three specific conditions which must be met before work can begin on the first of these new homes – namely:
- The developers must produce a travel plan, which sets out how “alternative means of travel to the private motor car will be promoted” (such as the creation of cycle routes or providing green travel vouchers to new residents to aid with the purchase of bikes or bus passes)
- The council must sign off on the design and layout of all roads and foot-ways within the site – including any cycle paths, cycle parking and pedestrian links leading from the homes onto Dunwear Lane
- Subsequent plans for the homes must include details of “cycleway and footpath permeability” – in other words, ensuring these links are delivered through the site without obstruction and link up with existing infrastructure
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
BACC has welcomed these conditions, stating in its most recent newsletter: “We’re really pleased that Somerset Council is taking active travel seriously as they consider the future of our town and its inhabitants, and how they will get about. The council has imposed three important conditions on the new development, and we hope officers will enforce these.”
The council said that any upgrades to the River Parrett cycle route, or the corresponding towpath along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, had “not been identified to date” as an option.
Where could a relief road go – and why isn’t it being built?
Squibbers Way in Bridgwater
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
The Dunwear Lane site – and the wider East Bridgwater allocation – has been proposed for development long before the Sedgemoor Local Plan was ratified. As far back as the mid-2000s, local councillors were trying to persuade Somerset County Council to create a new relief road to the south, which would connect Dunwear Lane to the Colley Lane industrial estate and provide an onward connection to either the town centre or junction 24 of the M5.
David Preece, who served on Sedgemoor District Council between 2003 and 2011, met with highway officers back in 2006 to discuss the matter. Speaking in August 2023, he said: “Around 2006, I arranged a meeting with county highways, and proposed that Bower Lane should be kept open and widened with paving, to link in with the new roundabout. I also proposed that the road be linked into Dunwear Lane and link up with the back of Squibbers Way – which links into the Taunton Road roundabout.”
Squibbers Way, which was completed in December 2019, was designed to provide a relief road for traffic between the M5 and Colley Lane, allowing vehicles to move over the River Parrett and the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal without having to go into the town centre and use the busy A38 Taunton Road at peak times.
The £18.4m road – named after the squibbing tradition which forms an integral part of the annual Bridgwater Carnival – includes numerous links to existing walking and cycling routes, including the stretch along the River Parrett.
With the council still in a financial emergency, there is not enough money for it to build any relief road under its own steam – meaning it will be reliant on central government and other developers to stump up the cash.
How have local residents reacted?
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
Numerous local residents expressed their dismay at the plans being signed off and the lack of a relief road on social media following a livestream by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Jake Gwilliam, who works for the NHS, said: “We need a road linking Dunwear Lane to Colley Lane or Squibbers Way. The town can’t cope as it is traffic-wise, and the council want the residents of these 500-plus homes to go into Bridgwater in order to access the M5.”
Nigel Coppell said: “Along the Parrett to Squibbers Way is an enjoyable cycle route. I would agree a link road should be considered to and from Squibbers Way – otherwise the alternative to go towards St John’s Street could be problematic.”
Alice Sweeting, who lives near the site, questioned whether delivering a relief road would be practical, stating; “Making the people in Plum Lane move for a road? None of us wanted this to even go ahead.”
What happens next?
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
While outline planning permission for the Follett Farm site is now in place, work cannot begin until the council has approved forthcoming reserved matters applications (which provide specific details about the design, size and layout of the new homes). The council said it did not have a time-scale for these plans coming forward – meaning construction could still be several years away.
A spokesman said: “No indication has been provided by the developers on when reserved matters are likely to be submitted. They have three years from December 2024 to submit reserved matters applications and then, under this planning permission, the development must commence before the expiration of five years from December 2024 (December 2029), or before the expiration of two years from the date of approval of the last reserved matters approval.”
A further round of public consultation on the Edward Ware Homes application is expected to be carried out in the coming months, meaning it could come before the council’s planning committee north (which handles major applications within the former Sedgemoor area) by the end of 2025.
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