A PUBLIC meeting will be held next week to allow Bridgwater residents to give their views on revised plans for 750 homes in their town.

Edward Ware (Bridgwater) Ltd. put forward plans in October 2023 for a major development between Bower Lane and the M5, comprising up to 750 houses, a primary school and a community facility.

The development forms part of the East Bridgwater housing allocation within the Sedgemoor Local Plan, which runs from the Bridgwater Community Hospital site across the A372 Westonzoyland Road to the bottom of Dunwear Lane.

The Bristol-based developer has now put forward amended proposals for the site in light of a viability assessment which concludes that delivering more than 200 affordable homes within the site is not a viable option.

Bridgwater Without Parish Council will stage a special planning meeting on April 24 to give residents the opportunity to have their say on these revised proposals, before Somerset Council makes a final decision by the end of the year.

The new homes, if approved, will be delivered in three phases from north to south:

Under the Sedgemoor Local Plan, any new development of ten homes or more must provide 30 per cent affordable housing – meaning that 225 of the properties should be affordable.

However, a viability assessment carried out by Alder King has found that this may not be economically viable due to the value of this land – meaning the developer may offer less affordable homes, or none at all, in order to make a sufficient profit on the land.

The spine road linking the homes to the A39 Bath Road will be completed between September 2026 and March 2029, with southbound traffic moving through the Strawberry Grange estate to the recently completed roundabout which links the A372 to a planned development of 530 homes at Folletts Farm on Dunwear Lane.

Bower Lane itself will be downgraded between the two spine road junctions, providing a safe, quiet route for pedestrians and cyclists (on top of cycle lanes which will be provided along the length of the spine road).

A new primary school will be delivered near Bower Lane between the phase two and three parcels by July 2030 – around the time that 556 of the new homes had been completed and occupied.

A community facility also being created in the same area, with a noise bund and acoustic fence being erected to reduce the noise from the motorway.

A spokesman for Thrive Architects (representing the applicant) said: “East Bridgwater will have its own distinctive design and a layout that reflects its specific position within the town.

“This new neighbourhood will therefore have an identity specific to its position and we will aim to create a sustainable, accessible and attractive high quality development.

“There will be well-designed housing appropriate for all ages, public open space for people to enjoy their leisure time, purpose-built primary education facilities and either new or existing links to existing community facilities.”

The special meeting of Bridgwater Without Parish Council will be held at the Morganians Rugby Club on Chedzoy Lane on Thursday, April 24, from 7.15pm.

Following the parish council’s recommendation (either to approve or refuse the plans), a final decision will be taken by Somerset Council’s planning committee north by the autumn.