BUILDING new homes in Crewkerne could create a “death trap” on local roads, say district councillors.

James Tizzard of Land Value Alliances LLP has applied to build 150 homes between Kithill and the railway line, at the southern edge of the town.

South Somerset District Council’s area west committee – which makes decisions on major planning applications for Crewkerne – voted unanimously to refuse the plans, citing concerns about traffic and highway safety.

But its decision could be reversed by a separate committee when it meets in September, in light of the large number of houses involved.

Under the council’s existing planning policies, any application for ten or more homes can be “two-starred” and considered a ‘major’ application.

This means if a given committee (in this case area west) goes against a planning officer’s recommendation, the final decision on the plans will be taken by the regulation committee, which comprises councillors from all four areas within the district.

This makes it harder for major applications to be refused – although the regulation committee did vote on Tuesday (August 20) to strike down plans for 81 homes in Castle Cary due to parking concerns.

In his application, Mr Tizzard said the homes would be built at the northern edge of the site (nearest to Kithill), before the site slopes down steeply towards the railway line.

Access to the new homes would be from Lang Road, with a footpath leading out of the site’s eastern end to link up with an existing footpath to the station and the nearby village of Misterton.

Planning officer Andrew Gunn said Crewkerne “benefited from a wide range of services and facilities”, making it a sustainable location for further housing.

He added this site had to be considered following the delays in delivering the Crewkerne key site, along with other sites in the area.

But his words did not convince members of the area west committee when they met in Chard on Wednesday evening (August 21), voting unanimously to refuse the plans on the grounds of highway safety.

A spokesman said: “The councillors did not believe the submission put forward by the applicants was sufficiently mitigated.”

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Linda Vijeh described Cathole Bridge Road as a “death trap” and questioned whether the traffic surveys done of the local area had been robust enough.

She said: “It beggars belief that this outline application for 150 dwellings should be considered for approval based on a traffic survey of Cathole Bridge Road (which is a death trap), which was carried out for just one-and-a-half hours on September 27, 2018.”

Crewkerne Town Council echoed her concerns, saying an increase in traffic on Cathole Bridge Road would “represent a severe highway safety concern”.

The council’s regulation committee will meet to discuss the plans afresh on September 16 in Yeovil at 10am. The public are welcome to attend.