Somerset Planning Committee Defers Westbury Sub-Mendip Housing Proposal, Orders Independent Highway Safety Audit

Other Committee · Meeting of July 16, 2026

Somerset planning committee defers Westbury sub-Mendip housing proposal a second time, orders independent road safety audit. The committee voted 6-5 on July 16 to defer application 2025/0137/OUT by the Church Commissioners for England, which seeks outline permission for up to 60 dwellings south of Roughmoor Lane, after members said the applicant had failed to address pedestrian safety concerns on the A371 that prompted a unanimous deferral two months earlier. The motion, proposed by Councillor Adam Boyden and seconded by Councillor Suzanne Hart, directs the council to commission WSP, an external highway contractor with no prior involvement in the application, to conduct an independent review of all submitted highway information including material from the applicant, council officers, and the parish council, under the requirements of local plan policies WM1, DP8, and DP9.

Officers maintained that the proposed mitigation package, including a 20-mile-per-hour traffic regulation order and improved surfacing at an existing informal crossing point, was acceptable, and that the council's housing land supply stands at only 2.84 years, engaging the National Planning Policy Framework's tilted balance in favour of approval; total Section 106 financial contributions under negotiation stand at approximately 334,485 pounds, plus 18 affordable homes. In a separate item the committee voted 10-1 to refuse removal of opening-hours restrictions on a petrol station at 6 Bath Road, Wells, overturning an officer recommendation for approval on grounds of noise, light, and antisocial behaviour harm to a densely populated residential area.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
• Question before the body
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• Procedural steps and outcome
• The complete report — 4,532 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of July 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.