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Somerset villages urged to gather evidence against housing plans

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 16:39 · Archive

Villages in Somerset are being urged to gather evidence of infrastructure pressure to challenge housing development plans.

Somerset Communities Raging Against Poor Planning (SCRAPP) brings together 21 Somerset towns and villages across six parliamentary constituencies to challenge planning decisions by Somerset Council in the face of higher government housing targets.

Mark Reynolds, managing director of Context Planning and a former planning inspector, addressed a SCRAPP meeting at Keinton Mandeville Village Hall on 30 September. He urged concerned residents to gather detailed evidence of pressure on local infrastructure rather than relying on anecdotal testimony to stop inappropriate developments.

Reynolds warned that Somerset could be exposed to major housing developments until a new Local Plan is in place. He noted that Somerset's previous plans are more than five years old and have not been updated, meaning housing need is calculated using the national standard method, which he said puts the county at a disadvantage. In August, the government published a new edition of the National Planning Policy Framework, which outlines the grounds for planning decisions and with which the new Somerset Local Plan must align.

Somerset villages urged to gather evidence against housing plans
Image: Somerset County Gazette

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In this story: Somerset Council · Somerset Communities Raging Against Poor Planning · Mark Reynolds · Context Planning · Somerset · Keinton Mandeville

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