AN action group set up to fight controversial plans to build 250 homes on fields to the south of Wellington Relief Road is calling on residents to attend and voice their concerns at the next town council meeting.

Town councillors will be discussing the Pegasus Group proposals when they meet in the United Reformed Church Hall at 6 pm on Monday, January 5.

Protect Wellington was formed by local residents earlier this year when Pegasus mooted its development and started a public consultation.

The group was concerned about ‘inappropriate development’ in and around the town which could see nearly 2,000 new homes built in the next few years.

It will formally object to a planning application which Pegasus submitted shortly before Christmas and it is calling on residents who share its views to also submit objections to Somerset Council by a consultation deadline of January 16.

The group has concerns over planning policy, loss of productive farmland, flooding risk, sewage capacity, environmental impacts, traffic congestion, and pressure on infrastructure and local services.

It argues the site near Middle Green Farm lies outside areas identified for housing growth in the Wellington Place Plan, and that approval would undermine the plan-led planning system and also set a precedent for speculative development on other unallocated greenfield land.

A spokesperson said: “The land at Oldway Road is currently productive agricultural farmland, and its permanent loss would be contrary to efforts to protect rural land for food production and long-term sustainability.

“The site forms part of the countryside edge around Wellington and provides habitat value for local wildlife.

“Members fear development would result in habitat loss, increased disturbance, and fragmentation of the natural environment.”

The spokesperson said there was also an increased risk of surface water run-off associated with new housing and hard surfacing, particularly given existing drainage pressures in and around Wellington and the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall events.

They said Wellington’s sewage and wastewater infrastructure was already under strain due to increased housing development, with higher residential density generating waste water volumes which exceeded parts of the network’s intended capacity.

The spokesperson said: “This has increased the risk of overflows and system failures, highlighting the need for infrastructure upgrades to support continued growth.”

They said roads already experienced congestion, especially at peak times, and additional traffic from the proposed development would make it worse and increase safety risks for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

One resident, Frank Sherlock, who lives close to the proposed development site, said: “This proposal goes well beyond what was agreed in Wellington Place Plan.

“Building on productive farmland outside the planned growth areas undermines local planning and risks changing the character of this part of the town permanently.

“Local roads, schools, doctors, dentists, and drainage systems are already under strain.

“Approving this development without clear and deliverable mitigation would put unnecessary pressure on services and increase flood risk for existing residents.”

The Protect Wellington spokesperson said Somerset Council should refuse the Pegasus planning application due to its conflict with local planning policy and a failure to adequately address environmental, infrastructure, and community impacts.