A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build 47 new homes in Wilstock has been criticised by people in North Petherton.

Sedgemoor District Council will make a decision on the planning application for new homes at Wilstock Farm but North Petherton Town Council has already voiced its disapproval.

Town councillor Helen Phillips, who lives at Wilstock, said: “The infrastructure is not there to keep up with the community already living there.

“North Petherton School and Somerset Bridge Primary School are already under pressure. A huge number of parents have to drive their children out of the area to go to school because there’s no bus route, no cycle lane and no access route across the country park.

“People were told they would get bus lanes and cycle lanes. All the things that were supposed to happen in sequence haven’t happened. There’s about 600 children and only one play area in the community.

“We want them to hold back and sort out the existing issues before building new houses.”

Wilstock resident Julie Walsh said: “As it is there is already only one main road in and out of the Wilstock estate leading to congestion problems.

“The roads aren’t wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass. In rush hour it takes a long time to get out of Wilstock due to the one road in and out and because of the location of Wilstock people need their own vehicles as we have no public transport.”

A spokesman for Bloor Homes, the company which submitted the planning application, said: “Primary access will be from the newly-built Huntworth Round-about – the new road links the east to the west of the urban extension.

“A new junction will be formed from the northern end of Rhode Lane to provide bus, cycle and pedestrian access to the north.”