A MINEHEAD builder has pulled out of controversial plans to redevelop the former municipal rubbish tip at Culvercliffe in a move that is sure to be welcomed by opponents to the scheme.

But while announcing CJ Lynch and Sons' decision to pull out due to unforeseen costs, West Somerset District Council hit back at critics, claiming they should have shown more interest in the plans from the outset.

Last week the Free Press reported that a new campaign group had been set up to fight the district council's proposals to create extensive community facilities at the site.

The Friends of Culvercliffe feared the plans were simply too much for the sensitive site and that the views of those who used the area would be ignored.

But this week the council's environmental portfolio holder, Cllr Stan Taylor, said consultation would have been carried out "at an appropriate stage" had the plans gone ahead.

He said there was no point consulting on a scheme until it was likely to come to fruition and claimed members of the public had already had opportunities to learn about the proposals and make their views known.

He said the issue had been discussed at two council meetings and two press releases had been issued by the authority on the subject.

He said: "These meetings are held in public with the local press present to report what is said, so there was never any question of us trying to keep it secret.

"Consultation is a two-way exercise and our meetings always provide an opportunity for the public to attend and have an input.

"It is unfortunate that nobody appeared to be interested at an early enough stage to give us feedback on this issue."

However, he said he was still keen to hear suggestions from the public on the future of the site but was disappointed the proposed scheme was not going ahead.

CJ Lynch and Sons had originally intended to dump soil on the site rather than pay to transport it out of West Somerset.

The soil would then have been compacted and levelled to create facilities including a picnic area, children's play area and car park.

But the company has told the council it is no longer interested in developing the site after it was revealed the cost of surveying and investigating the former tip could be £35,000 together with on-going monitoring costs.

Cllr Taylor added: "It was a nice idea which could have been beneficial for everybody.

"The residents and visitors would have had excellent new community facilities in this very popular area for walking, while building companies which contribute to the economy and employ local labour could have saved a lot of time and money on disposal of soil.

"However, we knew from the start that there could be difficulties with the site, not least with the Environment Agency pressing for very expensive licensing conditions."