COUNCILLORS have been left disappointed at the total lack of affordable housing in a planned new development in Wellington.

Members of Wellington Town Council met on Monday (November 3) for the full monthly meeting where they discussed the latest stage in the planning application for 161 homes to be built on land north of Taunton Road at Longforth Park.

The development is being spearheaded by Bloor Homes on a site next to the proposed new Wellington Railway Station.

Outline planning permission for 200 homes on the site has already been granted along with employment land, an internal spine road to support the station, public open space, drainage, and associated infrastructure.

Bloor Homes’ reserved matters application has provided further detail about the layout and appearance of the houses.

But the Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, said: “I am disappointed to see that there is no affordable housing included in this.”

Cllr Andy Govier said: “Affordable housing is very important and it becomes very frustrating for people when they see these housing developments going up and then see the prices which are not always affordable to everyone.”

Cllr Steve Mercer said the current ‘build, build, build’ mentality of developers would eventually lead to a ‘tipping point’ with Wellington not having sufficient infrastructure such as health and education facilities to cope with the increase in homes.

“It is of grave concern to me,” he said.

The Government has increased local housing targets as part of its pledge to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament – with Somerset looking to find space for an extra 75,000 new houses over the next 20 years.

Cllr Mark Lithgow agreed with Cllr Mercer’s comment about his concerns and said that developers ‘knew what they were doing’ and were ‘gaming the system’ based on the Government’s housing demands.

He has previously said that Somerset Council – the planning authority – can do little to stop housing developments from springing up because of the pressure from Government.

And he added: “We might as well stand at the end of the pier and throw buckets of water off it.

“We do not need to make any comment about this planning application because it will not make a blind bit of difference.”

Councillors supported plans for a further 67 homes along with landscaping and associated infrastructure be built on land within the approved development at phases four and five of the Jurston Farm estate by CG Fry and Son Ltd.

Cllr Lithgow said: “CG Fry is one of the better housing developers.”

And Cllr John Thorne added: “Some of the houses in this development are affordable. I do not have any objection to this.”

Councillors also supported CG Fry’s application for the approval of reserved matters for the appearance, landscaping, scale, and layout for the building of 268 homes at Jurston Farm.

“These homes have already been given planning permission,” said Cllr Thorne. “I am not expert enough to know whether one house design is better than another.”