A number of key technical assessments of relevance to the proposals are discussed below.

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Landscape Impact

The site has no landscape designation and is not Green Belt. Nonetheless, development of green field sites will inherently result in some landscape impact. It will be for the Council to determine whether this impact is acceptable in the overall balance of considerations.

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The application will be supported by a dedicated Landscape and Visual Impact Appraisal Assessment considering the impacts from a range of public and private vantages. This advice has informed the emerging proposals.

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The most notable changes to views are from Oldway Road itself and the public right of way network through the site. 

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Key view corridors to the Wellington Monument would be retained. The public right of way network would also be integrated within landscaped corridors with new footpaths, cycle paths and areas of public open space creating furthering public access.

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Views from the M5 are largely screened by the existing topography and vegetation, an existing and proposed hedgerows and trees with additional planting will filter views from the public right of way network beyond the site. Whilst there would be some public long distance views of the development from the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, these would also be filtered by vegetation within the site and the wider area. New homes would appear as a relatively small element in wider panoramic views, and in the context of the existing settlement of Welllington.

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Access and Movement

The proposals envisage a single vehicle access from Oldway Road (A38) with a secondary emergency vehicle access combined with a proposed cycle route accessing from the north-east of the site.

 

The existing public right of way route will be maintained and enhanced, supported by further footpaths and cycle paths to encourage the use of alternatives to the private car.

 

Pedestrian access into the centre of Wellington is already well catered for through the public right of way network, with the site within reasonable walking distances of the town centre and key facilities such as the secondary school. Pedestrian access across the A38 would be achieved by way of a dedicated crossing point. The potential for slowing the existing 40mph speed limit will also be reviewed with the Council but if not feasible would require a signalised crossing point.

 

We proposed to offer an enhancement to connect the proposed cycle path within the site along Oldway Road (A38) to the existing cycle paths at the Jurston Fields development onto Chelston Heath. This would provide excellent cycle connectivity to a key employment centre, with cycle connectivity to the future train station also within 10 minutes of the site.

 

It is understood that bus services have been withdrawn from the south of Wellington. The delivery of further homes would create a commercial incentive to provide such connectivity to the benefit of established populations. Existing bus services can be found within 900m of the site along Mantle Street.

 

The on-site car parking levels are anticipated to reflect Somerset Council policy guidelines and any demand from residents or visitors to the development will be accommodated within the available proposed parking areas. Provision will also be made on-site for cycle, refuse and recycling storage.

 

A Transport Assessment and Travel Plan will be submitted with the planning application to detail this assessment.

 

Ecology, Trees and Nutrient Neutrality

Ecology and tree surveys have informed the proposals, finding that interest is focused upon the hedgerows along the field boundaries and their use by bats and dormouse, as well as other priority and unprotected species. The scheme seeks to maximise the retention of these features, with buffer areas to these to safeguard navigation, feeding and the absence of light intrusion. New hedgerows will also be planted to provide compensatory habitat.

 

Reinforcement planting and new areas of habitat will be created, including within areas of public open space and an orchard, to secure a minimum of 10% net gain in biodiversity under the DEFRA Biodiversity Metric tool. An overall net increase in tree canopy cover will also be achieved.

 

Nutrient neutrality for the protected Somerset Levels and Moors would be achieved by ensuring no net increase in phosphates. This is proposed to be achieved through the management of rainfall from the site and securing what are known as ‘credits’ of established private mitigation solutions elsewhere within the catchment area (e.g. upgrading of existing private septic tanks) which Wellington LVA have access to.

 

Management of rainfall is proposed to include use of rainwater harvesting to reduce surface water run-off even further than standard development as well as the use of on-site cleansing and a treatment pond to reduce nutrients prior to discharge.

 

Flooding and Drainage

The site is located in Flood Zone 1, which indicates a low level of risk from tidal and fluvial flood sources. There are is a surface water flow path adjacent to the western site boundary; however the area of proposed housing would be entirely located outside of these high flood affected risk areas or surface water flooding. 

 

Surface water runoff from the site flows would be managed through the incorporation of a sustainable urban drainage system, with features including detention basins and swales. These features would manage the surface water runoff, and also provide additional community and environmental benefits – notably to biodiversity, water quality, landscape and recreational amenity. Source control features would also be included, notably through the inclusion of permeable surfaces and also to capture and utilise rainwater with the inclusion of rain water butts and rain gardens.

 

Surface water runoff from the site would be discharged from the site in accordance with what is known as the sustainable ‘drainage hierarchy’ to maximise capture of rainwater at source and slow discharge to the network. This includes rain water butts, rain gardens, swales and attenuation ponds.  

 

Surface water hierarchy, with the majority of the runoff draining to a drainage channel adjacent to the western site boundary and some to a drainage ditch adjacent to the northern site boundary. Surface water runoff from the site would then drain north stored on site and discharged to adjoin a watercourse.

 

Surface water runoff from the site would be managed in accordance sewer network to better than the existing greenfield runoff rates and run off rate, allowing for future climate change projections with an appropriate safety factor. As such, flood risks elsewhere would not be impacted by development of the site.

 

Foul sewage would connect into the existing public sewer.

 

Heritage and Archaeology

A Heritage and Archaeological Assessment has been commissioned to assess the potential for archaeological remains on the site and to ensure the setting of the Heritage Assets are respected.

 

In short, there is no evidence to suggest that there are any significant remains within the Site. The impacts upon the listed barn to the south can be manged by appropriate off-set distances.