CAMPAIGNERS have warned that Wellington will become a “concrete urban commuter jungle” if planned large housing developments continue to be given the go-ahead.

Concerned members of the public packed Wellington Town Council’s monthly meeting on Monday (January 5) to voice their opposition to the Pegasus Group’s controversial proposals to build 250 homes on the south side of the A38 Oldway Road heading towards the M5.

Plans to build a housing development beneath Wellington Monument on land to the south of the Wellington Relief Road on 34 acres of fields around Middle Green Farm have been discussed before and have been met with widespread opposition.

But the Pegasus Group is ploughing ahead with its proposals and has now formally applied to Somerset Council for outline planning permission.

Building homes on land south of the A38 around Wellington had always been deemed a “no go” area, but it would appear that developers are looking to seize the initiative with Somerset Council being put under pressure from central government to build more properties.

Frank Sherlock, of the Protect Wellington campaign group, told councillors on Monday that the Pegasus plans would create a “domino effect” for the town.

“Any support for this Oldway Road application will create a tsunami wave of housing into Wellington,” he said. “Someone I know who has land in that area has been offered vast sums of money from developers and I understand other landowners have as well.

“It won’t be long before Wellington becomes a concrete urban commuter jungle on the M5.”

The “domino effect” would be created as the Pegasus application would set a precedent and lead to more housing developments on the south side of the A38 which would in turn cripple existing infrastructure in Wellington such as medical facilities, schools and local transport.

Tim Lewis said that Wellington did not need any more housing and added that homes which had already been built were currently standing empty.

Robin Dickinson spoke of his concerns about the lack of infrastructure in Wellington to support such large-scale developments, plus also said that the earmarked development area had a problem with elephant grass which would need to be cleared. Elephant grass is a type of invasive weed that can quickly take over gardens, lawns and landscapes if left unchecked and can grow up to ten feet tall and spread rapidly.

Lindsey Stanton said: “When we met here some months ago we were left in no doubt that every single councillor was against this and I’m assuming that this is still the case.

“People have spoken about their horror and upset about the plans and I urge councillors to take on board their views.

“How will Wellington be able to cope with all these houses? Please don’t think that we’re all NIMBYs. We’re now a commuter town and another housing development isn’t going to help Wellington.”

She added that the Pegasus application was the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“This planning application is for greed rather than for need,”.