Last night, dozens of concerned residents gathered in Axbridge Town Hall for a public meeting to discuss the forthcoming development on Houlgate Way - known currently as Lavender Rise.
Sadly, developers Bellway Homes decided not to attend.
Points raised by residents included:-
- The design and appearance of the proposed buildings
- The disconnect between having almost all 4 and 5-bedroom houses and affordable homes altogether at the extremities
- The potential for speeding traffic on Houlgate Way once it has been marked as double-yellow
- The lack of clarity over the water supply and sewerage provision
- The potential for flooding at the site
- Access to the 'public' car park shown on the plans, which is via a road that is not due to be adopted
- The proposed play area, the quality of which is not sufficient for future maintenance
- The proposed removal of mature trees and hedgerows
- The enormous Lavender Rise sales sign at the top of the site, for which Bellway did not seek planning permission
Sedgemoor District Councillor Graham Godwin-Pearson also commented on:-
- An apparent shortage of parking spaces
- The lack of detail relating to energy efficiency, solar panels and car charging points, which should all be included following the new Building Regulations this year
- The confused statement and lack of detail relating to the provision of swift boxes, sparrow boxes and bee bricks, which should be present in every home
- The wildlife reserve at the bottom of the site, which should be completed and mature before any more hedgerows or trees are removed
Both Axbridge Town Council and Cllr Graham Godwin-Pearson will be addressing these concerns. You can do the same, as well as viewing all of the plans on the Sedgemoor Planning Portal here:-
