Watchet is a vibrant small town with an historic centre and harbour. It is an active centre for residents and visitors alike.

However, all of this is under threat because of the extent of new residential developments in the Watchet and Williton area, the constrained vehicular access, and the limited parking.

If nothing is done, congestion and vehicle/pedestrian conflicts in the centre will destroy the attractiveness of the town.

Delays increase exponentially with increases in traffic flow, so small increases have much larger impacts on congestion.

It is clear that retention of the existing traffic management and control regime is not a practical option if we look ahead to what the conditions will be like if we do nothing. A clear vision for the future is needed.

The proposed redevelopment of the former Wansbrough Paper Mill is an excellent use of a brownfield site.

Whilst this would add a further 400 new homes to the well over 1,000 already identified for development or in application in the immediate area, it provides opportunities for the future of Watchet.

The following actions are recommended if we are to have a sound and viable long-term future for the area.

1) The tunnel under the railway at the northern end of the paper mill site should be opened and a new public car park developed on the site. This would provide pedestrian access for visitors to the centre of Watchet without the need to drive down Swain Street.

2) Swain Street should be made more pedestrian friendly by removing kerbs and identifying the road/footpaths as shared space. This would enable wheelchairs and pushchairs to be used more safely and lead to a much more commercially friendly environment for visitors.

3) The local plan should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. If the paper mill site had been available for housing when the local plan was being developed, it is likely that fewer of the other developments in the plan would have been agreed because of the aggregated effects on all services, including transport.

4) A strategic view of the impacts of the combined developments in Watchet and Williton on the local road network is needed. This includes the Five Bells/Washford Hill junction, the A39 through Williton, as well as sections of the A39 and A358 more generally.

My concern is that decisions based on the incremental impacts of specific developments without proper consideration of the overall outcomes will lead to a future which no one wants.

Now is the time to take stock, and for the local councils to take a lead in promoting informed debate and discussion.

Land use decisions have a lasting impact, and now is the time to get them right.

Mike Mcdonald, Watchet.