Save the Blackdown Vale

Sadie Meaden

Not only would this proposal cause the loss of valuable countryside but it would also place further pressure on already overstretched local services particularly our hospital.

Rob Joslin

A ludicrous plan clearly given very little thought considering the town is at saturation point for so many reasons. This development cannot happen at this scale.

Hugh Kilgour

Because the agricultural component is becoming increasingly destroyed

David Hopewell

The loss of a beautiful tract of countryside, loss of water into the ground, loss of farmland

Simon Dyer

Build on the several available brown field sites first.

John Saunders

Too big a development for a beautiful rural area. Development should be always sympathetic to the local environment.

Andrew King

We need to protect our land

hugh gregory

It will ruin the local communities and out enormous pressure on schools GPs and traffic circulation.

Philip Johnson

There is no sense in bringing development to green belt productive land south of the M5 at Taunton. I understand that the designated requirement for new development in Somerset could be satisfied by existing land banks, so this just looks like a money making exercise for Taylor Wimpey - especially remembering the circumstances in which they acquired the land from the Crown Estate. There is no need for this proposed development and the damage it will cause.

Adam Stamp

Taunton is already starting to feel over populated and 17,000 new home will increase the population by roughly 50,000 new people. That's roughly 30,000+ more cars on our roads. Taunton cannot handle that let alone the M5. I personally I don't understand why we allow estates to be build in the countryside, cramming in as many houses as possible just to make as much money as possible is just wrong in my opinion, maybe others think this too or I'm the only one who feels that way? That's my thoughts

Ryan Hulls

There are enough housing developments in the local area.

Jan Wyles

I grew up on the Blackdown Hills and that environment is still dear to me. The Stoke St Mary Parish Council’s comments ably summarise the objections. I commend the opposition groups for their actions. This proposed development should have been open to public scrutiny from the outset. I presume the Taunton and County Councils have a long-term development plan. If so how does a massive development like this sit within it. What inducements from developers might be affecting the outcome?

Phillipa Leahy

There are more suitable areas for development of housing rather than disrupting the local habitat of so much local wildlife and pastures suitable for animals grazing from which we source our milk and meat! There are brown sites suitable for development and more urban areas more appropriate for development with access to public services , transport , schools, employment etc .

Lucy Dan

Taunton is already so built up and busy, the infrastructure cannot cope with more homes being built.

Clare Marsden

The value of farmland in times of climate change cannot be disputed when we only have arable….acres? per person ( figure that is hard to find ) I would guess at less than 1/2 acre. The East side of Taunton has not been ‘levelled up’ compared with the west side with regard to green spaces. Central government promises this levelling up policy. Walkers like myself on an East of Taunton estates ( many which are council estates) I enjoy a countryside walk over to the EDW footpath to the SE of town

Joanne Hibbitt

We don't need anymore buildings as it floods around there a lot. Too much traffic etc

Jenny Joslin

I fully accept that new homes are needed, but development should first make proper use of available brownfield sites and then allow proportionate growth within our existing towns and villages. What I cannot support is concentrating development on this enormous scale in one rural area, particularly at the expense of productive farmland. Once this land is lost, it is lost forever, along with its contribution to our countryside and increasingly important food security.

Philip Joslin

We need new homes, but there has to be some common sense about where they are built and on what scale. Building a new town on productive farmland while putting thousands more people into a rural area is not sensible long-term planning. Food security matters, particularly in an uncertain world. Somerset's existing towns and villages should be allowed to grow gradually and sustainably instead.

James Joslin

The proposed scale of development feels completely disproportionate to the needs of the existing communities. Losing prime agricultural land at a time when food security is becoming increasingly important makes little sense. Housing should be delivered through measured, organic growth of existing settlements, not by imposing an entirely new population of this size on a rural area.

Sarah Butler

We’ve got to stop building on agricultural land. We need food security. Develop brown field sites, empty inner city housing and warehouses. There’s whole developments in Cornwall that have just stopped due to legalities …. It’s utter madness!