Great Western Coffee Shop

Sent from Somerset CPRE

Do you recognise this view?
How would you feel if this field was covered in 200 houses?
If you live in Somerset it will surely be familiar to many of you as you step off the train on the way back from London and breathe in the Somerset air again.  If you have ever caught the train to Glastonbury Festival you might recognise it.

This is the field next to Castle Cary Railway Station and it is currently threatened by a proposed development of 200 houses. South Somerset District Council have refused the application but the developers have appealed.  There will be a public inquiry online and in person in Castle Cary  from 9th to the 12th November.

We oppose the development (as do Castle Cary Town Council and Care4Cary Group) and we will be speaking up at the inquiry. We are concerned about the landscape impact on Castle Cary and damage to the setting of the Victorian railway station. In our view, this development represents unacceptable urban sprawl outside the direction of growth of this market town.

If you agree and want to save this view, please sign this petition which has been set up by one of our members.  THANK YOU.

https://www.change.org/p/public-inquiry-9-12-november-2021-say-no-to-hopkins-wyke-200-new-houses-on-castle-cary-green-space?recruiter=1197999656&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=G%3ESearch%3ESAP%3EUK%3ENonBrand%3EAll-Match-Types&recruited_by_id=5cf17950-a730-11eb-897b-b9d19d67b2b2
 
 

And if you disagree with South Somerset District Council and believe there's a need for the housing? Is there a petition for the opposing viewpoint?

This proposed development appears to meet criteria set out in SSDCs Local Plan 2006-2028. It's not the first time though that a SSDC planning decision is at odds with its own Local Plan.

This might come under government ideas to favour housing within a mile radius of a station.

Torbay had a recent refusal of 350 houses on green fields overlooking the River Dart overturned by the planning inspector because the developer argued the council did not have a three year land supply despite brownfield land with permission that have have not been started. The builders only seem to build 100 houses a year on the sites under construction.

Put the other way round, don't most people favour having a station near the houses? You could argue that it's an obvious shortcoming of Castle Cary that the station is outside the town, and moving the town closer (at least on average) would be an improvement. The counter argument, that it is as essential requirement of a station that it be surrounded by fields, does sound a bit feeble by comparison.

There is a clear demand for more housing, and building this next to a station will encourage train travel.
My only misgiving is that the line through Castle Cary is not yet electrified.
New homes= new NIMBYs.

One would hope that occupants of these new homes will be made aware of the following.

1) You are near a railway line, and may be able to see or hear the trains. It is probable that the number of both passenger and freight trains will increase. Be aware also that overnight engineering work takes places, on average for a few nights a year.

2) Your local railway is not electrified at present, but future plans for electrification exist. Electric trains produce little pollution and less noise, but you may be able to see the equipment which consist of substantial steel structures.