ILMINSTER NEWS: Adams Meadow cannot cope with emergency vehicles

THE idea that the existing Adams Meadow estate could provide an access for emergency vehicles to a planned 450-home development in Ilminster has been labelled as bonkers by town councillors.

It has been proposed by Persimmon Homes that an emergency access to its planned new housing estate behind Canal Way would come through the Adams Meadow development.

Documents provided by the developers say that the primary vehicle access to the site would be “gained via the new southern arm of the roundabout on Canal Way which has been constructed in order to provide the formalised access to the new medical centre.

“In addition, a secondary access through the new development on Adams Meadow will ensure emergency access is available to the site, although this route will not provide access for vehicular traffic.

“Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to utilise this access in order to reach areas to the west of Ilminster.”

But the idea of Adams Meadow being used as an emergency access was soundly opposed by members of Ilminster Town Council’s planning, highways and transport committee when it met on Tuesday (February 14, 2017) at Greenfylde First School to discuss the outline planning application for the Persimmon development.

PHOTOS - ABOVE AND RIGHT: The planned emergency access in Adams Meadow would be at the bend in the road at the end of the railings and then go over the existing cycle path.

The narrow roads of the Adams Meadow estate make it difficult already for large vehicles to negotiate – made virtually impossible due to parked cars.

Cllr Don Kinder said: “They say that emergency vehicles will be going down Adams Meadow. Does that mean they are going to widen the roads because they aren’t wide enough to cope with emergency vehicles.”

Committee chairman, Cllr Andrew Shearman, added: “Adams Meadow cannot cope with emergency vehicles full-stop.”

The plans show that the emergency access would actually go over an existing cycle path along Adams Meadow.

Cllr Shearman said: “It would be extremely foolhardy to have an access over an existing well-used cycle path.”

Ten of the 11 councillors voted in favour of recommending refusal to the outline planning application – proposed by Cllr Julie Fowler and seconded by Cllr Don Kinder - while the other councillor abstained.

A final decision on the outline planning application will be made by South Somerset District Council, but it has already been suggested by Highways England that the matter should be put on hold for three months to allow Persimmon to address outstanding highways concerns.

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