Introduction
West of England Developments propose a development of up to 350 dwellings, accessed via an existing turning head at Wardleworth Way, Wellington.
In addition to housing and affordable housing, the development would deliver a secondary pedestrian and cycle access to the north side of the proposed new Wellington train station. The development would incorporate two football pitches, changing rooms, other Public Open Space, drainage attenuation, allotments, footpath links; all linked to a hierarchy of connections and green spaces.
This consultation describes the proposed development, its background and planning policy context. A series of plans are provided below and the opportunity to provide comments and feedback regarding the emerging proposals.
The Site and its Planning Context
The site is located on land to the east of Wardleworth Way and north of the railway line. Vehicular access is proposed via an existing turning head in the road that would be extended into the site. Several other pedestrian and cycle links to the site re also proposed.
This proposed development follows approval of planning permission (Somerset Council planning application reference 43/23/0056) for 200 dwellings and employment uses at Longforth Park, Wellington, accessed from the new Lidl food store junction at Nynehead Road. That planning application also provided an internal spine road to connect the Lidl access to the proposed new Wellington railway station. A separate planning application is to be submitted by Network Rail for the station itself on the south side of the existing railway line. The station proposals will include a footbridge to a platform on the north side of the railway line.
The proposed development at Wardleworth Way would provide a pedestrian and cycle access connection to the northern platform. This provides residents north of the railway line the ability to access the new train station without having to drive or travel a greater distance through the town centre, out along Taunton Road to access the train station via the Longforth Park development access.
The development of this site accords with the preferred approach to the future growth of the town as referenced in the Wellington Place Plan (March 2023) that was prepared by Somerset Council. A link to the plan is provided in the downloads section below.
The Wellington Place Plan advocates a station-led growth strategy for the town, specifically identifying this site for residential development (see page 115 of the document). The Wellington Place Plan has been adopted as a material consideration in determining planning applications and considering conservation and regeneration.
The Proposed Development
The proposed development comprises of the following:
· Up to 350 dwellings (including 25% affordable housing)
· Two football pitches for public use
· Changing rooms associated with the pitches
· Public Open Space
· Allotments
· Surface water drainage attenuation
· A pedestrian/cycle connection to the north side of the new train station
· A maintenance and emergency vehicular access to the north side of the new
train station (for Network Rail maintenance and emergency services access
only)
· A series of other footpath and cycle connections to all four boundaries of the site
Connectivity of the development with the town and Active Travel proposals are key to the sustainable nature of the proposed development. A link to the Routes and Movements Plan, showing the various development connections, is provided in the link below.
The development would formalise a pedestrian and cycle route over an existing railway bridge on the south boundary of the site, which connects through to Proctor Way, Lillebonne Way, the Pritex Factory, Howard Road and the town centre beyond. This is a key aspiration of the Wellington Place Plan.
This connection would intersect with a proposed east/west pedestrian and cycle route along the south boundary of the site, linking Wardleworth Way to the north side of the new train station.
Further connections would be made, and upgraded, to existing footpaths connections to Tone Hill on the east boundary of the site and two connections to the footpath adjacent to the north boundary of the site along the former Grand Western Canal route. There are plans for the latter route to create a 'greenway' between Wellington and Taunton, connecting the town centres along a traffic-free all-weather corridor that roughly follows the route of the Grand Western Canal.
Quality Review Panel
The proposals are due to be presented to the Somerset Quality Review Panel, which independently scrutinises proposed developments to ensure high standards of design and place making. A copy of the presentation, providing additional detail about the development, is provided in the downloads section below.
Next Steps
Comments from this public consultation, other stakeholder engagement and the Quality Review Panel will be reviewed by the design team and incorporated where appropriate. The intention is to submit an Outline planning application for the site prior to Christmas. Somerset Council will then carry out its own consultation once the application has been submitted, allowing comments to be directly sent to the Council itself.
Downloads
The following documents provide more information on the site and proposals:
Site Location Plan
Constraints Plan
Routes and Movements Plan
Illustrative Masterplan
Quality Review Panel Presentation November 2024
Wellington Place Plan
Have your say
If you would like to comment on this proposal in advance of the planning application being submitted, please e-mail us at planning.exeter@carneysweeney.co.uk or write to us at:
Carney Sweeney Planning, Broadwalk House, 1 Southernhay West, Exeter, EX1 1TS
The closing date for the receipt of responses is midnight on 20th December 2024.
Any personal information provided as part of this consultation will be managed in accordance with our privacy policy.