A PUBLIC rally followed by march into town is being organised by campaigners against a controversial new housing estate a developer wants to build in farm fields to the south of Wellington Relief Road.

The campaign group Protect Wellington will stage its demonstration on a footpath and land opposite Swains Lane, next to the proposed development site, on Thursday, March 12.

It is protesting plans by Pegasus Group to build 250 houses in fields around Middle Green Farm, outside the town’s development boundary.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend at 11 am for speeches and an information share before marching into the centre of Wellington.

The group was formed to oppose what would be the first breach of the town’s A38 development boundary and seen as a precedent to allow more housing to be built along the entire southern side of the relief road.

Both Wellington Town Council and Wellington Without Parish Council have given their support to the campaign.

A spokesperson for Protect Wellington said: “This is not about opposing housing in principle.

“It is about putting homes in the right places.

“Building on valuable fields is the wrong choice for Wellington, now and for the future.”

The group believes the development would undermine the plan-led planning system and encourage speculative development on adjacent greenfield land, severely impacting local services.

It said valuable productive farmland would be lost forever, resulting in severe environmental damage, an increased risk of flooding, overloading of an already under strain sewage and drainage system, and more traffic congestion.

Somerset Council has set itself a date later in March for taking a decision on the Pegasus planning application.

Protect Wellington will hold a further public protest outside the planning committee meeting in Taunton.

A GoFundMe appeal has so far raised more than £500 to help the group cover costs for its protest events.