EXASPERATED town councillors in Wellington are demanding an explanation as to why County Hall planners are allowing one housing development after another without considering their cumulative impact on the town.

Councillors will meet on Monday (March 9) to approve a letter to be sent by chief executive Dave Farrow pointing out how Somerset Council planning officers have been failing in their legal responsibilities and asking why it has been allowed to happen.

Mr Farrow said in a draft of the letter to be considered by councillors: “There are eight separate developments at various stages of the planning process, amounting collectively to approximately 1,900 new dwellings.

“Despite the scale of this combined growth, the council appears to be considering each application in isolation, rather than assessing their cumulative impact on Wellington’s infrastructure, services, environment, and overall spatial strategy.

“This fragmented approach is inconsistent with both the statutory plan‐led system and the principles set out in the Wellington Place Plan.

“The place plan is explicitly intended to guide co-ordinated, sustainable growth, ensuring new development supports the town’s long‐term needs, identity, and infrastructure capacity.

“By treating each application as a standalone proposal, the council risks undermining the strategic objectives.

“The courts have repeatedly held that failure to consider cumulative impacts is unlawful.

“Given the scale of development proposed around Wellington, cumulative impact is not a peripheral issue, it is central to lawful decision‐making.

“With approximately 1,900 dwellings proposed across multiple sites, it is difficult to see how the council can meet its obligations without a co-ordinated, town‐wide assessment.

“Yet, there is currently no published evidence that the council is using the place plan as a framework for assessing the combined impact of the eight major developments now in the pipeline.

“This risks undermining the purpose of the place plan and eroding public confidence in the planning process.

“Wellington is facing a level of growth unprecedented in its recent history.

“It is essential that this growth is managed in a way that is strategic, lawful, and aligned with the Wellington Place Plan.

“The current piecemeal approach does not appear to meet those standards.”

Mr Farrow said town councillors wanted an explanation of how planning officers were assessing the cumulative impact of current housing proposals, how the developments aligned with the place plan and the wider strategy, and how future decisions would reflect the duty to consider Wellington as a whole rather than as a collection of isolated sites.

He called for the unitary authority to publish or commission a cumulative impact assessment covering transport, education, healthcare, utilities, and environmental effects.

The move comes ahead of a mass public protest being organised on Thursday morning (March 12) to protest a Pegasus Group planning application for 250 houses on the south side of the A38 relief road.