Meeting tonight to discuss 65 homes off Shovel Lane in North Petherton (From This is The West Country)

Meeting tonight to discuss 65 homes off Shovel Lane in North Petherton

3:02pm Tuesday 12th February 2013 in News By Matthew Colledge

THE Mayor of North Petherton says there has been so much interest in a hugely controversial housing development a special meeting to discuss the project has been called tonight.

The Mercury reported last week how people living near the fields off Shovel Lane, where West of England Developments want to build 65 homes, say the scheme would cause serious problems for motorists negotiating nearby roads.

An action group opposed to the development says the application “takes no account whatsoever of the nature of vehicles already travelling on these narrow, local roads.”

The group says: “Milk tankers, oil delivery lorries, tractors and combine harvesters have great difficulty manoeuvring safely from farms and houses to the main road, the A38.”

The Mercury reported last week how a supporting statement for the application said the biggest impact would be on Watery Lane, which is “easily capable” of taking extra traffic.

Pat Hall, 67, who lives just off Watery Lane, contacted the Mercury this week after reading our article.

She said: “Someone must be out of their tiny minds to say Watery Lane can take more traffic – it has too much going through there now.”

Peter Smith Design Service, acting for West of England Developments, said the project would contribute money to off-side road works to “address and improve existing concerns.”

It also said the road plans had “evolved through lengthy discussion and very detailed negotiations with the highway authority and are believed to be acceptable to meet all highway issues”.

West of England Developments has been invited to a meeting in North Petherton Community Centre tonight at 7.30pm.

Mayor Bill Revans said: “There has been huge public interest in this application, and we want to give the developers and the community the opportunity to share their views with councillors before they make North Petherton Town Council’s representation to Sedgemoor District Council.

“All members of the community are very welcome to attend and speak.”