Comments from Ian Jones

Dear sir,

Although I am a resident of Westbury Sub Mendip I would like you to record that I have yet to receive any correspondence from the consultants who are advising the church commissioners regarding this proposed development. Fortunately I have learned about the proposal from other sources.

My comments are as follows:

1. The developer must ensure that this development fulfils the requirements of the Net Zero Carbon Toolkit July 2021 – endorsed by Mendip District Council 10th January 2022.

2. Linked with this Zero Carbon Toolkit is the requirement of the developer to provide Sustainability Statements on submission of planning applications for 10 or more dwellings, development sites of 1 hectare or more. This means that a Sustainability Statement will be required for this proposed development.

This toolkit includes the following requirements:-

A. New gas or oil boilers should not be installed in new homes.
B. All new buildings should be built with a low carbon heating system and must not be connected to the gas network.
C. Heat pumps are considered the most efficient low carbon heat source.
D. For new homes solar photovoltaic panels should be placed on the roofs to enable energy generation is equal to the energy use of the building.
E. All new homes should have electric vehicle charging points
F. All new homes should have triple glazed windows.

3. All properties on the site should be for people wanting to live in the area. Buyers of second homes, for personal use or for renting out, should not be allowed to purchase. Priority should be given to local people.

4. Mendip has an increasingly old population with a high proportion of single individuals living alone. The authorities should encourage the development of smaller properties within this development specifically built for one person occupation. I certainly do not agree with 2.5/3 storey buildings being built.

5. I do not agree with the suggested change of road layout. Roughmoor Lane should be left as it is with the development site having its own separate entrance/exit onto Stoke Road.

6. Social housing, providing affordable housing for important members of our society such as teachers, nurses, carers should occupy at least 50%

7. Street lamps should not be installed. We are a dark sky village and Roughmoor Lane is an established location of a substantial nationally recognised glow worm population.

8. The 0.1 ha that has been allocated for a community facility could be better located. I think more thought should be put into determining where and that the developer should pay for any buildings that are built on it for the use of villagers.

9. I would like to see less new building in the village and propose that a maximum of 40 properties be built on this site.