COUNCILLORS have shouted loud and clear that they are totally against plans to build 250 homes on land south of the A38 on the outskirts of Wellington.

Members of Wellington Town Council met on Monday (January 5) where they unanimously opposed proposals by the Pegasus Group to develop 34 acres of land around Middle Green Farm off Oldway Road under the gaze of Wellington Monument.

The council’s chief executive Dave Farrow told councillors that the proposals “undermined” the Wellington Place Plan — which will be used as a guide for future decisions about the development, regeneration and conservation of the town — which had identified the A38 as a “hard boundary” for Wellington.

Mr Farrow added that the council would — if the application was given permission by Somerset Council — need to ensure that Section 106 agreement funding was “of benefit to Wellington.”

A Section 106 agreement ensures that developers — such as Pegasus — have to contribute financially to the infrastructure of a community to support new housing.

“If this application is approved we will need to be at the table to access the Section 106 money,” he said.

Mr Farrow said he would write to Somerset Council about the Wellington Place Plan and highlight the A38 boundary for housing.

Cllr Andrew Govier said: “The plans don’t impress me one little bit. Our overwhelming message to Somerset Council is to turn down this application and fight any appeal Pegasus might lodge.

“I couldn’t pick a worse site for housing and the impact it would have on the environment.”

Cllr Stephen Mercer said it needed people of all political persuasions to try and get the government to “change tack” on its housing policy and that Middle England was “not happy.”

Cllr John Thorne said: “I’m sure every single councillor here shares the same horror and upset about this application just as local people do.

“We should make the strongest objection to this application – this is a threat to Wellington as we know it. It will change the town forever if this was given permission.”

He warned: “I’m not convinced that Somerset Council will turn this down. If they do, Pegasus will go to appeal to fight that decision.

“Somerset Council is in a financial mess and they can’t afford to spend lots of money fighting appeals.”

Cllr Thorne suggested that the town council might have to look at offering “financial support” to Somerset Council in the event of an appeal.

“It would be expensive, but what price do we put on the future of our town?” he said.

Councillors thanked a large number of members of the public who attended the town council meeting on Monday and for those that spoke so passionately in opposition to the proposals.

The earmarked site lies within the parish of Wellington Without and the chairman of Wellington Without Parish Council, Cllr Roger Lane, and parish clerk Neil Dalton were in attendance. The parish council met on Tuesday (January 6) at Sampford Arundel Parish Rooms to discuss the application.