A small village near Glastonbury will become the site of more than 30 new homes – despite fears it will lead to flooding and subsidence.

Land Value Alliances secured outline permission on appeal in April 2020 to build up to 32 homes on land east of Sub Road in Butleigh, between Glastonbury and Somerton.

The site was subsequently sold to local developer Galion Ltd., which put forward revised proposals for the same number of homes in March 2023.

Somerset Council's planning committee east (which handles major applications in the former Mendip area) voted to approve these revised plans on Tuesday (November 5), despite residents expressing fears that the development would put existing properties at risk.

The site, which lies south of the Holm Oaks estate, is allocated within the Mendip Local Plan Part II to deliver a minimum of 25 new homes by 2029.

Access will be created from Sub Road through the partial demolition of an existing bungalow.

The new properties will range from two-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses in size, with ten of the 32 homes being affordable (i.e. being offered at up to 80 per cent of the market rate).

The Glastonbury-based developer secured planning permission in March to deliver 37 homes (along with a café and seven co-working units) on Baltonsborough Road at the other end of the village.

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It is also currently working to deliver the St. Dunstan's Mede development of 36 homes on Ham Street in the neighbouring village of Baltonsborough.

Sarah Simpson was among the local residents who spoke out against the plans when the council's planning committee south met in Shepton Mallet on Tuesday afternoon (November 5).

She said: "My garden and all my windows look directly onto this site.

"The plots really are very tall and very big – they are intrusive and will block out light. It's almost like a wall at the eastern end of the site.

"This is a really steep hill and it's caused a lot of problems for existing residents, including flooding.

"The proposed density is out of keeping with the surrounding area."

Janet Trimmer, who lives on Barton Road, agreed: "We've tried to work with the developer to reach a suitable compromise – but after three meetings, we heard no more until the current plan.

"To say we were horrified by this doesn't cut it. The planned buffer has totally disappeared from the southern side, considerably reducing the ecological benefits of the scheme.

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"Who will enforce the existing of the remaining buffer to ensure it can remain in perpetuity?"

Nigel Hampton added: "Flooding on the northern side already occurs when the field gets waterlogged, and this development increases flood risk.

"We have no idea how the planned earth bank next to our homes will be maintained. The 25 trees promised may never be planted.

"There has been an above-average level of subsidence around the site, and to date absolutely nothing has been done to reassure our neighbours."

Councillor Claire Sully (whose Mendip South division includes the site) urged Galion to work with the community to deliver a development which truly met local need.

She said: "Any village – and I've known this village all my life – needs to keep its heart.

"I appreciate how much work officers have put in to get these plans to this stage, and we haven't got a lot of options or flexibility.

"But I would like to say to the developer: please work with this community. Be a good neighbour, because you're not going to get anywhere if you don't – you need to think of people's happiness.

"Everyone living on this estate will have to drive – there's no pavement on Sub Road and the bus service is poor."

Councillor Helen Kay (Frome East) added: "We need to have an agreement in place about the access to existing footpaths.

"We often put the cart before the horse, and in this case I think we need to have that agreement in place before they start building the foundations."

Despite these reservations, the committee voted after two hours' debate to approve the plans by seven votes to three, with three abstentions.

Construction on the new homes is expected to begin by the summer of 2025.