A PUBLIC consultation exercise has been started for people to have their say on the details of a scheme to build about 160 new homes on the edge of Wellington.

National housebuilder Bloor Homes has bought a site behind the town’s Lidl supermarket, on which West of England Developments was given planning permission to develop up to 200 homes in May of last year.

Bloor intends to submit its detailed plans to Somerset Council at the end of the month, but first has engaged CarneySweeney to carry out a consultation on what Wellington people think of its proposals.

The consultation will run until midnight on September 19 and contains maps, images, and drawings showing how the homes and public spaces could look, with a separate application to be made later for business units.

The development will also see Bloor build an access road for the planned new Wellington Railway Station, and also provide land for a ‘Station Square’ to be given to the town council along with a £305,000 financial contribution.

A presentation on the development masterplan was also made for the town council meeting on Monday evening (September 1).

A CarneySweeney spokesperson said: “This consultation provides an opportunity to view the proposed plans for the residential areas of the site and to provide any comments and feedback regarding the emerging proposals.

“Bloor Homes is engaging with Somerset Council and Wellington Town Council to discuss the proposed dwellings.

“Feedback from these pre-application discussions and any comments from this public consultation will inform the final submitted plans.”

The spokesperson said although a total of 200 homes had been approved, the detailed layout was still evolving and a final number would be determined once all pre-application comments had been considered.

They said: “The proposed dwellings will consist of a mix of family housing, predominantly of two-storey construction, with some two-and-a-half storey homes in key, prominent, locations.

“The external appearance of the properties will reflect the character of more traditional properties within Wellington, predominantly red brick with buff coloured string courses.

“Some rendered properties would be provided to create visual markers at adjoining streets or vista formation.

“As required by the outline permission, the proposals include a pedestrian/cycle link on the west boundary of the site, linking Taunton Road with the proposed train station.

“Other pedestrian/cycle improvements are also secured through financial contributions in the section 106 agreement.

“The parameters of the development, fixed at outline stage, respect identified ecological buffer zones around important bat roosts with the proposal offering a sensitive lighting design to minimise impacts.

“Furthermore, Bloor Homes is signed up to the ‘Homes for Nature’ scheme, meaning every home will have a bird-nesting brick or box installed and hedgehog highways implemented within the development.

“Over 220 trees are proposed to be planted and 650 yards of native hedgerow planting to provide further habitats.”

Comment on the proposals can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by letter to CarneySweeney Planning, Broadwalk House, 1 Southernhay West, Exeter.