Scores of eco-homes approved despite flooding fears

Plans for 150 homes on the outskirts of a growing town have been approved - despite fears that future residents could be cut off by flooding.

North Somerset Council has granted permission for the new eco-friendly properties near Hanham Way, Nailsea, north Somerset.

The development will include low-carbon, gas-free homes, with two-thirds of the site allocated as green space for public use.

However, concerns were raised over access to the site, which will rely on a single road running through a reworked junction with Watery Lane.

Planning consultant Jemma Shurrock, representing the developer Vestry, said the homes would be built in a "sustainable location, adjacent to Nailsea's existing settlement boundary".

While part of the site is at risk from future sea level rise, Ms Shurrock stressed that all homes would be built outside of these areas.

But critics fear the new homes could become isolated in the event of flooding.

At the council's planning committee meeting on 19 February, councillor Oliver Ellis warned: "It's called Watery Lane for a reason."

Meanwhile, councillor Mike Bird said with climate change and increased rainfall, "flooding at the proposed junction could become more frequent, completely cutting off residents".

"The development needs a full-width second entrance," he added.

A council officer reassured the meeting that Watery Lane had a "low hazard rating" for flooding, with water levels rarely exceeding 150mm, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They added: "If there's a significant issue, emergency services could still drive through it."

Councillor Robert Payne acknowledged concerns but argued that housing was needed.

"If we keep adding to the edge of towns, they become more remote from facilities. But it is hard to see how we deliver much-needed homes in Nailsea without doing that," he said.

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