ILMINSTER NEWS: Eight new homes for waste ground site given support

PROPOSALS to build a small housing development on a piece of “derelict industrial land” in Ilminster have been given the support of local councillors.

Members of Ilminster Town Council’s planning, highways and transport committee last week heard that applicant Robert Doak wanted to build eight homes to the east of industrial units at Broadoak, off Canal Way.

Committee chairman Cllr Andrew Shearman, speaking at last Tuesday’s (February 9, 2016) meeting, said that a marketing campaign over nearly ten years had failed to attract the attention of any business looking to take on the industrial site.

“There were expressions of interest, but these led to nothing,” he said. “So the conclusion has been reached that housing is needed to make use of this derelict land.”

But the Mayor, Cllr Rose Neave, said: “I have concerns about the number of properties on the site. If they took a couple of houses out it would be really good.”

And Cllr Don Kinder added: “Housing development on industrial land just doesn’t seem right to me.”

But Cllr Philip Burton said: “It is an ideal site to put houses on with the access it has got – we should go along with it.”

Councillors voted in favour to support the application – although a final decision will be made by South Somerset District Council and expected by March 11, 2016.

The proposed development will be built close to the Cheekie Monkeys children’s nursery at Broadoak.

Alison Jeffery, of Cheekie Monkeys, has given the development her support and said it would be a big improvement to the current situation.

“The proposed development would be a vast improvement compared to the waste ground that it currently is,” she said in a letter to the district council. “We would no longer have problems with overgrowing bramble bushes growing over into our side access and the whole look of the area would improve significantly.”

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