Any comment or info about proposed housing development south of Roughmoor Lane
Two papers produced following the Church Commissioners presentation on 10th July are now available on the village website here. One contains the response of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group to the proposals; the other is a record of points made at a village meeting to discuss the proposals, held on 24th July. Both have been made available to Lichfields, the agents for the commissioners.
A reminder that there will be a meeting in the village hall at 7.30 pm on 24th July to consider the latest proposals from the Church Commissioners for development at Roughmoor Lane. Details of the plans will be available in the hall and can also be found on their website here.
At our request, the deadline for submitting comments on these proposals has been extended until July 31st. The commissioners anticipate submitting a formal application for outline planning permission in the autumn when there will be a further opportunity to comment.
There will be a meeting in the village hall at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 24th July to discuss the latest developments in relation to the Church Commissioners proposals for land at Roughmoor Lane. The meeting will provide
Neighbourhood Plan Working Group on behalf of the Parish Council
This poster draws attention to a consultation on proposed developments south of Roughmoor Lane arranged by the Church Commissioners. Please bring it to the attention of any friends and neighbours who might be unable to receive this post. Copies are being placed around the village.
Please note that as of 26/06/24 the link to the website does not work. We will let you know when it is operational.
The church commissioners have also put up notices indicating that they have asked for permission to demolish the modern barns adjacent to Court House Farm.
A date for your diary. We understand that the Church Commissioners have booked the village hall for the afternoon and early evening of Wednesday 10th July for a pre-application consultation on their latest plans for development south of Roughmoor Lane. We will let people know further details as and when they supply them.
Mick Fletcher on behalf of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group
A number of documents have been added to the Roughmoor Lane pages of the village website and can be accessed here. They include information received by the Parish Council from Litchfields, a copy of advice on the application from Mendip Planners and a summary of the advice given to the Parish Council by the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group as at 3rd May 2023.
Litchfields, the agents for the Church Commissioners, recently briefed parish councillors about their revised plans for development at Roughmoor Lane. A note, describing what they told us about their plans, can be found here
There will be a chance to ask questions and begin thinking about a village response at a special meeting in the village hall on 1st March from 6.30 to 7.30. Details are here
There will be a longer opportunity to think about how to respond on 19th March at 4.00pm in the village hall. It is hoped that by then Litchfields will have provided more detailed written information that can be shared.
Please could the village Eyes and Ears share this information with their neighbours in their usual way. If you let me know how many paper copies you need to inform those not on-line I will arrange for them to be left for you to collect in the village shop.
The Parish Council has been told that the Church Commissioners have prepared new proposals for housing development on land off Roughmoor Lane and expect to present them to the council and the village in late February / early March. To read more about this please follow the link here
Litchfields, the agents for the Church Commissioners, have just written to the clerk to the parish council to say that they have still not managed to hold a meeting with the planning department at Mendip. They have therefore asked to defer any meeting with the parish council until the New Year. Further updates will be posted as soon as anything further is known.
On Saturday 18th February a questionnaire concerning the church commissioners’ proposals for development at Roughmoor lane was sent to residents of Westbury- sub-Mendip. It was circulated by the distribution system set up by the parish council emergency planning committee. The system, developed throughout the covid pandemic, is designed to contact every household in the village via email, or, where this is not possible, via paper copies.
Over 250 people, around a third of the adult population, responded and a summary of the results is given below. A PowerPoint presentation containing the results is available on the village website.
The numbers participating in the survey are impressive given that the average turnout in the much better advertised local government elections is also around 35% and indicates the level of interest in this application. Although it is difficult to be certain, those responding appear to be broadly representative of the village community.
The survey divided houses in the village into 5 areas – those living along the A371 and those north and south of the road, each of these latter areas split east and west. The responses received closely reflected the number of houses in each area. It is clear therefore that a majority of responses were from people not in the area immediately facing the development who might be expected to have specific and strongly held views on the matter and can be taken as an indication of village opinion as a whole.
The survey respondents were in the main elderly (51% aged 65+) retired (46.2%) and in households without children (81%) Compared with the 2011 census data those over the age of 75 seem overrepresented and those in the 25-44 age group underrepresented. Two thirds of responses, however, came from those aged 45-74 and this is not out of line with the proportions shown in the earlier census data (63%)
This possible bias towards older residents might help explain the level of interest in bungalows suitable for older people wanting to downsize. It may understate the level of interest in other types of housing.
In terms of specific issues,
A number of questions asked about housing and housing needs. Thirty people (12% of respondents) said that someone in their family had had to leave the village because of a shortage of affordable housing within the last five years. Some 58 people, just under a quarter of all responses, felt that a family member might have to leave for the same reason within the next five. It reinforces anecdotal evidence that the existing housing stock provides few opportunities for the young or the less affluent to remain in Westbury.
Similarly, forty-three people (17%) felt that they or a family member might have to leave because of a lack of smaller properties suitable for downsizing. When asked what type of property would best meet their needs if they wished to relocate within the village in future, 50% said a bungalow.
There were three open questions in the survey asking people for their single greatest concern about the church commissioners’ proposals, the most positive aspect of them, and finally an opportunity to make any other comments. Not everyone took this opportunity, but the answers show a consistent pattern
Q What is your single greatest concern about the Church Commissioners’ proposals for Roughmoor Lane?
2.Road traffic issues 54
3.Overdevelopment in general 42
4.Environmental issues. 11
5.Fear of creeping growth/distrust of CC 9
6.Community use area and placement. 6
Q What do you feel is the most positive aspect of the proposed development?
Q Is there anything else you would like to say about the development proposed by the Church Commissioners?
1.Lack of consideration of community needs 39
4.Shortsightedness of not including the brownfield site 12
