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     Taunton residents have already made their voices heard. Make a stand and let your voice be heard, You can make a difference!

     We are advised that if one or two people write leters to goverment departments they tend to get ignored. If hundreds of letters arrive on the same topic, they do get noticed. Please take the time to write your letter.

We would suggest you write letters to the following:

       • Secretary of State
       • Somerset County Gazette
       • Jeremy Browne MP

Contact details:

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles)

Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
The email contact for the general enquiries is:
contactus@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Somerset County Gazette at the following address

Either email newsdesk@countygazette.co.uk or
hand letters in at the Gazette offices in St James Street or
post to: Postbag, Somerset County Gazette, St James Street, Taunton TA1 1JR

Jeremy Browne MP

House of Commons, Westminster, SW1A 1AA

 

      Be specific about your request. We don't like the regional Spatial Strategy dictating that thousands of planning applications need to be granted in a short period of time such that the Vivary Green Wedge is threatened with a massive housing development.

Some examples of the hundreds of comments made by the public so far about this development:

• I have lived in Taunton all my life and cannot see the need to spoil a Green Wedge area because of short term policy. Once built on the area is spoilt for future generations.

• Thoughtless building on greenfield sites has become the easy default position of many councils short term political decisions are a lazy way of passing the buck for future generations and should be critically examined and resisted.

• This is outrageous - we love our County Town for its green -ness - who ever planned this abominaation clearly does not live here!

• whenever there is a threat to farmland and the wildlife habitat, we cannot afford to be complacent as our future and that of our children depends on the decisions we make today about a sustainable solution to our food supplies and ongoing eco systems This is a global issue not just a local issue hence my objections from australia as a New Zealand citizen

• An alternative: Imagine this? Please do not miss the opportunity to exploit Taunton towns greatest assets “ the Vivary Green Wedge, Vivary Park and the areas close proximity to the countryside. Rather than destroying this asset, why don’t you use it as a means of regenerating Taunton’s High Street and the town beyond? Taunton will never be able to compete with the shopping facilities in Exeter or Bristol so don't waste time, effort and money trying to copy them. You will never win this game. Exeter and Bristol have the infrastruture to support shopping fanatics. Taunton does not. Instead, you should make the most of something Taunton has that its neighbours don't have... its close links to the countryside. Taunton is unique in that the Vivary Green Wedge brings the countryside into the town. Don't destroy this. Exploit it. This will attract many, many people into the town. Instead of building houses on the Killams site, you could turn the site into the most beautiful country wildlife park with footpaths and cycle ways that lead directly from the town centre along both the Blackbrook and Sherford streams up to Cotlake Hill and then onwards to Orchard Portman Lake, Neroche Forest and the Here Path. This will draw HUGE numbers of people into the town. Imagine this! A direct link from the town centre all the way to the Here Path, a path which is known nationally and which is another important part of Taunton’s heritage. The Here Path and Neroche already attract tourists/cyclists from far and wide; link these directly into the town and you will attract many more visitors to the Taunton town centre. They will then be able to enjoy not only the delights of the new Castle Green and Firepool but also the Cotlake Country Park? What a dream come true that would be!! Please, please, please do not build houses here. Look at it again through different eyes. If you look after this area properly it has the potential to be of HUGE aesthetic and economic value to the town. Building houses on any part of this area will destroy that potential.
• The proposed small development in the present Vivary Green Wedge, should it be approved, will set a precedent that will allow future strategic planning reviews to plan for further development and the inevitable loss of the whole of the green wedge. The green wedge is presently delineated by natural boundaries such as streams and rivers, and once these boundaries are breached there are no other natural lines that can be drawn that so effectively creates a protected area. Once a precedent has been set it will not be possible to stop further portions of land being developed in the years to come, as each successive planning review will seek to claim a further slice of the wedge citing as precedent this proposed development in 2010. It is a case of either this area is protected from housing with no development at all, or we accept that over the medium to long term the whole triangle of land enclosed within the boundaries of Trull, Killams, and the M5, will end up being covered with housing estates. This area has for generations been protected from development due to the vision, foresight, and wisdom of past planners and councilors. It is to be hoped that present planners and councilors will have the same foresight, vision, and courage to keep this unique feature of Taunton intact for the benefit of future generations.

• Once it is lost it will be gone forever. Please, PLEASE, don’t destroy Taunton. It is a beautiful town and it has so much to offer everybody. Thank you.

• I object for all the above reasons and also because it will contribute to the breakdown of rural communities and settlements. building on greenbelt land is unsustainable and the green belt must be preserved for future generations.

• The Vivary Green wedge is what makes Taunton retain its identity as a rural town. Giving this space up to a mass development would lose this unique feature of the town and Taunton would become just another urban jungle. The pollution created by the swathe of motorway running alongside Taunton is presently compensated for with the Vivary Green wedge and the loss of this countryside would be detrimental to the air quality for the residents of Taunton. The road into Taunton town centre (along Shoreditch Road/South Road) already cannot cope with the volumes of traffic it currently serves and at peak times it can take half an hour to make the five minute journey into town. With the proposed development of 600 odd houses also needing to be served, the increased traffic congestion and subsequent air pollution would make this a nighmare scenario. The nearest shops are a good twenty minute round trip on foot from the Killams development - with the new development being even further away from these limited facilities - and thereby not exactly local. Residents of the new development would not therefore be likely to use their cars and would probably drive into town rather than use their nearest facilities thus adding to the congestion and pollution.

• The Greenbelt is protected by law & can only be used if exceptional circumsatances can be proven & then only once the Secretary of Stated has sighted & agreed that this is the case. The greenbelt is our her ratage & should be passed down to future generations it is an infinite resorce that we are custodians of.

• I object to the housing development at Killams and Mountfields because: Any increase in traffic at the Mounfields juction would cause serious traffic problems. Even now the situation at times is chaotic due to parked cars using the post office and other facilities, this sometimes making it difficult even to enter Mountfields Road! Also the frequent use by heavy farm vehicals and Wyvern sports traffic is already a major concern. WILDLIFE This area is teaming with wildlife. In our garden alone we have seen a kingfisher, an eel swimming upstream, slo worms, water voles, newts and a white egrit in the field behind us, Badgers, foxes and owls. You cannot destroy this habitat for wildlife...PLEASE do not build on this beautiful countryside!!

• I live in Killams Close. Below are my comments on the proposed building development at Mountfields / Killams: General Objections – Preservation of Vivary Green Wedge. Like the vast majority of residents in the area, I totally object to any development on the site in question. The site is part of a green wedge that extends all the way to the town centre. It has been described as ‘the lungs of Taunton’ and is one of the town’s most valuable, distinctive and attractive assets. The existing boundaries of the wedge must be maintained and ‘the distinctive rural character’ of the area preserved in perpetuity for future generations. It is absurd to suggest that allowing this development will somehow help to better protect what remains of the wedge in future. We need to draw a line in the sand now as to the boundaries of the wedge, not at some future date when further encroachment is once again threatened. The whole area from Mountfields/Killams to Cotlake Hill is very scenic and of high aesthetic value generally. It is a haven for wildlife with deer, kingfishers, little egret etc. Proposals for development of this area have been repeatedly rejected by planners and independent planning inspectors for many years. For example, an inspector’s report of 2003 says the site must not be developed because of ‘The effect of housing allocation on the landscape, and in particular upon the green wedge and the Cotlake Hill SLF.’ (Taunton Deane Local Plan Report of Enquiry into Objections, Sep 2003, p. 830). The strong grounds for rejecting development remain unchanged. What has changed, so we are told, is the increased pressure for new housing. Much of this pressure was the result of an explosion in the availability of mortgages and easy credit. This bubble has now burst with negative consequences for everyone but bankers, but at least it may serve as a brake to the monstrous level of development that has threatened Taunton and its already groaning infrastructure. When more realistic and up to date projections for economic growth are produced my hope is that less disturbingly ambitious and insensitive development plans will result. Even if there is some pressure for new housing (why are there so many empty properties in Taunton?) this does not justify the vandalism of a beautiful rural area with fantastic views towards the Blackdown Hills. Specific Objections: My more specific objections to the proposed development are as follows: Flooding. One of the major concerns of local residents is flooding. The local area has several watercourses and is a large natural soak-away for the vicinity and Taunton generally .In the words of The Environment Agency, ‘an area affected by flooding or extreme flooding’. The area has flooded several times in the last few decades. Development along a significant stretch of higher ground to the west of the Blackbrook would significantly increase this flood risk by greatly increasing the rate of rain water run-off. There are also the increased levels of precipitation due to climate change to be taken into consideration, which recent events nationally suggest may well be far higher than current projections predict. The Blackbrook after even moderate rain it carries a significant if not alarming volume of rapid flowing brown water. Obviously, drainage, attenuation and holding-back schemes are proposed for the development but as with other such schemes these have proved inadequate. Mountfields Road and Avenue Congestion Mountfields Road and Avenue are too narrow and congested, especially at the hazardous junction with South Road, to cope with any increase in regular traffic. Cars parking outside the Post Office immediately on the corner of the junction with South Road are a particular problem. It is a false perception that the congestion would be solved by re-routing the farm vehicles as these, nuisance though they are, are only occasional, where as the congestion from cars is constant. Also, the farm vehicles could not be re-routed until the whole development was at an advanced stage. i.e. Mountfields could have years of more cars as well as the existing farm vehicles. Parking along Mountfields Road/Ave means that these roads are effectively single track - and even as double track they are narrow. More cars exiting Mountfields Road will only mean yet more cars stuck dangerously on South Road unable to turn into Mountfields Road etc. etc. Mountfields Road and Avenue were never designed to take the traffic they take now, let alone more of it. South Road and Wider Area Congestion More houses in the area would further increase the chronic congestion on South Road towards the town centre. During morning rush hour, traffic already stacks up all the way from Hurdle Way back to Mountfields Road. Although some residents of the new development might be persuaded to walk or cycle most will use their cars to compensate for the sites poor accessibility (see below). Those who live in outlying villages who have no choice but to drive into Taunton along South Road will be further inconvenienced. There are also issues relating to further increasing the high volume of traffic that heads from South Taunton to J25 of the M5 along Chestnut Drive and so on. Increasing the traffic in the South Road area is likely to turn the existing congestion into frequent grid lock. Accessibility -  Plans for developing the area have been rejected in the past on the grounds of accessibility. The aforementioned inspector’s report speaks of significant walking distances to local shops and ‘more especially to the local primary school’ (p. 832). A primary school, so I gather, would only be added to the development at the end of the process and then not for some time. Meanwhile, the nearest primary school is over twenty minutes brisk walk away. As the inspector notes, with regard to travelling to this primary school, ‘the car is likely to be the preferred mode of travel for this purpose’ (p. 832). Agricultural Land -  The proposed site is prime agricultural land. For every hectare of British agricultural land destroyed the nations ability to feed itself decreases, its ‘food security’ decreases and reliance on food imports increases. Imported food means more ‘food miles’ which means more damage to the environment in term of carbon emissions. As with protecting green wedge, there is a need to draw a line in the sand with regard to preserving prime agricultural land in this country. This is an opportunity for Taunton planners to make a stand on an issue of growing importance. I hope Taunton Dean Council will see reason as they have done in the past and refuse this development.

• I object to the proposed development as it will ruin the nature of the area and will permanently damage the wildlife habitat so carefully nurtured over the last few years. There are plenty of brown field s ites available to be built on - why must we bulldoze and build over the last remaining areas of greenbelt - it's a complete disgrace.

• Why are you hell bent on ruining our green land? We are custodians and should appreciate that future generations need these green areas

• Residents of Killams and Mountfields are fortunate to be able to enjoy the aspect afforded by living on the edge of the green belt. The area has been nurtured as a haven for wildlife by the council in recen t years with the placing of information boards, minimal maintenance to the footpaths and surrounding area in order to encourage and enhance the wildlife. We have been fortunate enough to see kingfishers, herons, otters, voles and many other wild creatures thrive here at a time of increasing awareness of the destruction of wildlife habitat throughout Britian. This area has become a tranquil idyll, a safe environment for residents, young and old. It is especially gratifying that the elderly residents at Fullands House and Court, can still enjoy our pleasant countryside within a confortable walking distance of their homes. A factor which must enhance their longevity. We will rue the day that this beautiful sanctuary is lost.

• Concerned about the affects of this proposed development: - traffic. High volumes already along South/Shoreditch Road with shopping, work, school & college travellers. - wildlife. Some unique animals & birds including Kingfishers, Water Voles, Herons. - quality of life. A small area already. How can 600 more families fit in. - urbanisation by joining up residential areas & obliterating all green land is a danger to current & future generations.

• I am horrified to hear from friends and family that it is proposed to fill the lungs of Taunton town with tar! This priceless agricultural land is unprecedented in its proximity to a major town and it is b eautiful that one can walk from Vivary Park straight into well-managed countryside land. I am interested that Taunton Deane BC shows on its website that it is exhibiting its green ideals at the same time as this money-making scheme is being mooted. Lets be honest it is about revenue stream and not the long term benefit of the country or town - just as it was when SCC flattened my old school (Bishop Fox's) in order to sell the land at development prices. No doubt having been given the land by a local building firm it was a profitable enterprise - never mind whether or not this is the area of the town that had the greatest need for schooling (it wasn't!). I am sure that when the Kinglake family sold the land before the park was made this was not the type of venture they had envisaged. Other concerns I have are as follows: Building to such an extent on higher ground would seem likely to give rise to flood damage - especially in view of global warming. The council has over the years spent much on improving the natural habitats and wildlife at Killams - this will be eradicated overnight. Where will the Kingfishers on the lake at Killams go when they are surrounded by houses - not their usual habitat? Traffic estimates have been found in history to be underestimated. For example when the new Bishop Fox's was built the estimated number of cars per day was 50. Anyone who has tried to access South Road or Calway Road at peak times knows this to have been a deliberate underestimate. Where are the dwellers of these houses supposed to work? Most affluent Taunton residents commute to Bristol or Exeter which offer greater employment prospects. This too is not environmentally friendly. It is environmental nonsense. As you can tell yes I am angry at they very thought of such a short-termist policy - one which seems irresponsible given the current climate and environmental threats which we all face.

• Before any building is done on our precious green spaces all other options must be used. Old buildings need renovating, Brown sites need using and old office buildings used. Our green space needs very much to be preserved.

• Despite the argument that this site is urgently needed to relieve the town from the consequences of past mal-administration of housing land supply, we STRONGLY OPPOSE this proposal. The Core Strategy draft itself identifies a severe problem with access and traffic volumes, and poor public transport and other services in the vicinity, and it sets a precedent that violates much of the rationale behind other proposals – to develop in a long-standing and much loved Green Wedge – arguably the best one Taunton has.

• I object to the housing development at Killams and Mountfields because: Any increase in traffic at the Mounfields juction would cause serious traffic problems. Even now the situation at times is chaotic due to parked cars using the post office and other facilities, this sometimes making it difficult even to enter Mountfields Road! Also the frequent use by heavy farm vehicals and Wyvern sports traffic is already a major concern. WILDLIFE This area is teaming with wildlife. In our garden alone we have seen a kingfisher, an eel swimming upstream, slo worms, water voles, newts and a white egrit in the field behind us, Badgers, foxes and owls. You cannot destroy this habitat for wildlife...PLEASE do not build on this beautiful countryside!!

• I object to any development of Killams and Mountfields. The area is liable to flooding. It is an important habitat for wildlife. It is an important green area of Taunton and should stay as such. Its appeal as a rural area so close to a town centre should be preserved for future generations. Besides why does Taunton need so much new housing? The infrastructure of the town in its current state can not support such growth.

• My Uncle and his wife live in mountfields and I feel it would be a crying shame to go ahead with the proposed plans for all the reasons mentioned above, I visit regulary and Taunton would just not be the same

• I am writing to register my objections to the proposed strategic development site. I am a Mountfields Road resident, living at the far end of the road where the first part of the development is proposed to start. I cannot object stronly enough. The reason that we bought our house was so that we could look out onto farmland, and views of the hills.I never wanted to live on a housing estate! If the proposed development goes through, all this will be lost. We will be losing part of our 'Green Wedge,' which hosts an abundance of wildlife including a badger set, deer, a wide variety of birds,bat colonies and a beautiful white Egrit. There is also the loss of prime agricultural land. Each year this produces a high yield of crops, surely there are alternative poorer soils that could be built upon? I believe that there will be a serious risk of flooding. Our garden is continually boggy, except during prolonged spells of dryness. The Wyvern Club has flooded numerous times and there have been three major flooding incidents at Pool Farm, Mountfields Road, in the past five years. The surrounding area is very low lying with no natural run off. There is also the major issue of access and traffic congestion. We already have to contend with farm and haulage vehicles, and expanding traffic to and from the Wyvern for sporting events,conferences and parties. We do not wish to add to that list all the construction traffic over a five year period! Mountfields junction with South road has already been identified by the council as a major safety issue. The increase in traffic will only stand to magnify this. I also understand that there are proposals to introduce yellow lines along Mountfields road. This will mean that myself,and other residents will have nowhere to park our vehicles, along with visiting family and friends etc.Should we all dig up our front gardens and concrete over grass, therefore adding to the loss of natural soakaways for eccess rainwater, and further increase the risk of flooding? Not to mention the loss of further 'green' areas? I cannot object strongly enough and hope that you will consider these objections.

• The Council must resist the tempation to use this valuable spwce for housing. The loss to the local community cannot be overestimated. Developments of this scale are not required in th current finanical c limate. A new housing policy must be considered before all protected Green Belt has been lost.

• As a community in Bristol facing the same destruction of Green Belt and Wildlife Network and Site of Important Nature Conservation to developers. We support the people of Taunton in their fight to keep thi s important area protected. Use Brown Field first and Councils should resist the Governments poorly researched housing figures. Once gone this valuable and important site will be gone forever. KEEP IT GREEN. Ashton Vale Heritage Grouyp, Ashton Vale Bristol.

• The traffic going into Taunton is really bad, especially from 8am.-11am,when we all need to get to work. Most tourists avoid Taunton because of our notoriously congested roads. It will be so much worse with a large increase in local residents. The green wedge is a fantastic legacy to leave to our children, please don't ruin it by turning the area into another housing estate. There must be areas outside the centre of town, near major roads that would be more appropriate.

• 1. Access to the Mountfields area is very poor. Shoreditch/ South Road as mani n aretries to the proposed sites is extremely congested as specific times of the day. This is cuaesd by the proximity of both Rishrd Huish College and Bishop Foxs School. The junction of Mountfields Road is praticulary dangerous as it is partially "blind". Unless a wholesale reorganisation of this access point is made then the problems will worsen by building at the end of Mountfields. 2. Killams Drive extension for the large majoity of new houses will also cause congestion on Shoreditch Road. A potential increase of 1000 vehicles accessing the Killams site (not vehicle movements which will be potentially a factor of 5 higher) per day through the one point of access to Shoreditch Road would require a rethink of the access to Taunton Town centre as congestion will further increase significantly. The temptation to use the Haygrass/ Fosgrove access as a "rat run" will increase over and above that use it currently has as a result of the inadequate road system for Taunton. It is a dangerous route which is already over used by people getting to work and / or schools in the area. 3. Black Brook takes storm and surface water from the Blackdowns and Corfe areas through the area in question. The land on which development is planned suffers regular seasonal flooding as a result of run off . The steam is often struggling to take the water volume which has resulted in erosin to its banks both in the Killams Streams area but also in private gardens. I remain to be convinced that this problem can be managed without a redesign of the drainage system given 600 additional dwellings. 4. Public transport in Taunton is a joke. People will never use it in the volume TBDC thinks is necessary due to punitive bus fares and unreliability. Cars will prevail and with it a major logisical problem due to the lack of any roads policy for the town (especially as no relief road East-West is now on the table). 5. The proposed development will alter significantly the aspect of the existing properties and will have a determinental effect on house valuations in the area. This will have a knock on effect on the charges TDBC can make in community charges. 6. The loss of a vital part of the Vivary Wedge is to be deplored as it will change the look and feel of the southern aspect of the town for ever. The provision. of the land in 1851 for the enjopyment of the local people will be eroded. Access will be further limited and I believe that this proposal represents a attack on valuable open spaces by "stealth". The whole look and feel (and perceptions of the local population) will change as a result. Views over Cotlake Hill will be compromised for ever by these plans. No thought has been given to loss and disruption of wildlife and fora habitats in the Wedge. 7. Killams Green is in the Parish of Trull which is opposed to these plans as a means of further annexing Trull with Killams Green into the urbanisation of Taunton. 8. There are much better places around Taunton on which to realise the vision for more houses which do not have the level of disruption to people, property, habitats and provenance. My suggestion is that TDBC thinks again.

• As a resident of Shoreditch Road I am aware of the large volume of traffic, particularly in rush hour. Imagine the tail backs, pollution and noise with all those extra cars trying to get into town centre fo r work or to drop their children at school.There is huge congestion from the lights on Mansfield Road already, backing up to Richard Huish, how much more can the roads accommodate with greater population?

• I have a basic issue with the spatial strategy itself and the undemocratic way a decision to expand Taunton into a mini Exeter has been "taken". I like Taunton as town, not a city. Where will all these people work? Where will all the traffic go? Taunton has lost parking places of late to further development (by River/Kichleys Valton and near Cricket Ground) - how will that be addressed? Typically development & profit comes first and infratsructure of all kinds long after e.g. primary school for houses built along Chestnut Drive etc. Cotford St Luke etc etc. Can we make sure that any promised infrastructure improvements around Killams as an offset (planning gain) are carried out BEFORE allowing even the first phase of any proposed development. Absolutely no further development without the missing safety cycle/walking link being built first. The current break in the cycling link is dangerous for cyclists as the roud between Mountfields North to Calway Rd is narrow and often blocked byy queuing traffic with perilously narrow gaps inside. Richard Huish should not be allowed to expand without controlling student parking and the impact on surrounding roads. More parking, more policing BEFORE any expansion. I really value the Green Wedge and the lovely walk into town via Vivary Park behind Richard Huish. Touch this environment at your peril, loss of vote, direct protest etc. Traffic down South Rd into town is laready heavily congested and buses end up delayed as well so no benefit over car. Cannot be addressed?

• The building of houses throughout Taunton Dene must be halted before our countryside disappears.

• I feel that the loss of this open green space within Taunton Deane will be extremely detrimental to the local population. Many people without cars are unable to access open countryside, therefore, their on ly opportunity to engage with nature may be via this open space. I would urge the council to reject this planning application for housing on this site.

• Killams as a proposed deevelopment for 600 houses is ludicrous. It is an area of natural beauty & habitat and has been for over 30 years. Scenery is great, clean air, rural character. Ease of access for walking, cycling and generally of being in the country. There is an area of green adjacent to a dedicated playground that has been used by locals for 20 years plus and this would be destroyed. Access for any new homes would be a problem. Traffic is already bad at rush hour times and backs up to Killams Park from town from about 8.30 on - any development would compound this and ensure MORE use of cars NOT less as is Government policy. The existing problem in Mountfields with HGV's etc I would suggest is of the Council's own making by allowing the business at the farm to go ahead instead of refusing this. If there was access created from Killams this may relieve Mountfields but simply shift the problem elsewhere and to an area where there are more children playing, living and existing. Flooding is a possibility with more homes. Loss of agricultural land too when again the Government is trying to encourage more home grown produce. Think again TDBC you have got it wrong once more!

• i spoke at a full council meeting last week as a rep of taunton friends of the earth as this issue is vital. this area is known as the 'lungs of taunton' is known to have some protected species as inhabitants and as such should be protected.we will continue to follow this issue and campaign on it

• I would like to register my formal objection to the development of housing and its associated infrastructure within the Killams & Mountfields area. My reasons are listed below: It is quite obvious that the existing roads, within the Killams and Mountfields area, are already congested and unsuitable both to the increased car traffic that would come from access to the additional housing and to the increased construction traffic during development. Both Mountfields Road and Mountfields Avenue are narrow roads, used by families for on road parking. I've lost count of how many times Mountfields Road has come to a standstill as a lorry or tractor tries to negotiate the parked cars to access the farm. Access on to South Road can be difficult during peak periods of the day and as I'm sure you are aware South Road itself is a bottleneck during the early morning rush hour. The increased traffic which would inevitably come from new housing in this area would cause congestion on a huge scale. Both the Killams and Mountfields areas of Taunton are quiet residential areas mostly populated with young families who have purchased in this area because of the good location, its close proximity to schools and colleges and its peaceful and safe location. Increasing the housing by such huge numbers will increase the noise and pollution levels enormously. This will have a significant impact on the lives of the people already living in this area. Because of its good location many families will have paid high prices for their property. Developing on the Green land next to this area, spoiling the local environment for those people living in this area, increased noise, poor traffic conditions, pollution and problems with on road parking will have a detrimental affect on the prices of existing property. Many families who have moved to the area within the past few years are likely to find themselves in negative equity as prices fall considerably. Because of the location of schools and colleges within this area the roads are used by children on their way to and from school. The safety of these children, both when cycling and walking, would be put at risk with increased car and construction traffic.

• I am absolutely horrified but sadly not surprised that Taunton Deane are even considering this. More time should be put into improving the centre of the town and turning it into a county town we can be prou d of. My 15 year old daughter said 'why do they want to build more houses all my friends can't wait to leave here'. Lets face it, alot of people agree. Start improving the centre of town, the high street is a ghost town, the 2 main shops in the centre are a sex shop and a cheap tacky shop and the station road and east reach as you enter the town are disgusting and there are hardly any decent cafes or restaurants for people to go Does any of this encourage people to move here, I know many who doubt it and who are the same age as me and are looking forward to moving away. PLEASE don't take away the only decent bit of Taunton that is left. The damage you will cause will be irreversible, due to all the reasons ticked above. It will be the biggest mistake the council has ever made if this goes ahead.

• Development in the green wedge should be opposed. Taunton is unique in that it has a connection between the town and the countryside - this should be preserved at all costs

• I am not in favour of this development: The junction with South Road is not currently suitable for this increase in traffic. South Road is already congested in the mornings and the additional traffic will make the congestion considerably worse. The site is sloping and therefore the housing at the top of the site will be very visible and will spoil the beauty of the exising countryside. The existing wildlife reserve which runs beside the Blackbrook will be ruined by the development and the increase in traffic through that area and the existing foxes and badgers will be driven away. The proposed development is not in keeping with the rest of the Killams development

• I oppose building on the Green Wedge especially to the west of Blackbrook. If this is allowed it will be the thin end of the wedge into the Green Wedge!

• Being a relatively new resident of Mountfields Road having moved here from a rather over populated Plymouth City Centre, I must raise my objection to the development of an area of such natural beauty. Once a foot hold has been established are we doomed to see the back of another sanctuary? We made our choice to move here as a new family that immediately fell in love with the surrounding countryside, hopefully our dream won't be ruined. There are numerous reasons to object to this development as raised on www.killamsandmountfields.co.uk, my main reason for objecting is very simple, I want my daughters to enjoy the views and spaces that we moved here for and not to be told of the nature that surrounded there home before the houses were built. Please don't ruin it for them.

• Nothing has changed over 20 years to make the infrastructure ready for this development. Indeed the increase of traffic, sewage and all other factors over 20 years make the current proposal even more untena ble to existing residents. Any reduction in property values will alarm residents, young and old, and diminish local property tax valuations and consequent revenues.

• I object to the idea that it would be suitable to include Killams in the Strategic Sites part of the proposed response to Central Government. My objection is based on the following considerations: Character: Taunton is a county town which has strived and succeeded in balancing England's rural heritage with the demands that the Industrial Revolution brought. It is now doing very well in incorporating the needs of education and supporting people and businesses dependent on the New Technologies. I believe that Taunton's prosperity as the County Town did not come about by accident. The residents of outlying parishes and villages looked to the town to trade and developed settlements and communities at cross roads of commerce. I think that when considering future development in Taunton that this hub and satellite pattern of development is one that should be maintained. The proposed devlopment at Killams does not respect Taunton's heritage . I am therefore against it. Impact: Any development at this site would have a geo-physical impact on the course of the brook. Literally by the necessity to lay down roadways so that the site can be developed. Followed by the impact of heavy duty plant entering the site of proposed development; and then the impact of the foundations of the new buildings on the water table. Would the cost of these assessments be underwritten by TDC before any developer considered the site? I am against the development because of unnecessary costs. Impact - aesthetic as at 18.1.7: I think that these comments as regards views are to do with a macro master plan of the situation. That is, that the need to comply with a master plan the consultant will think only of the grand plan, and justify it later. The micro view of the residents on the ground is a bit different. We can assess through experience what might work and feed that back. So I am feeding back this: I do not assess the impact on my environment by whether a new development has an impact on the view of my home from a far distant hill. Please can you tell me where 'preserving views' is part of town development law? I object on the grounds that no-one has ever objected to the alteration of a view from C Hill and that such an alteration would affect their life style. So the addition of comments re change in the landscape and resultant views is specious. Personally: Taunton is a warm welcoming town. It has accommodated changes well over the years. Can you let me know your assessment of the Cotford St Luke Development? I believe that intense housing such as 250 dwellings which you propose at Killams is not viable. I object

• I object to the housing development at killams and mountfields because it will seriously effect the qamount of traffic passing the end of my road. We do not want any more green spaces to come under housing development. Apart from the infrastructure which will be needed Taunton can not accept any more cars of which if 750 houses are built there will be a minimum of a thousand extra cars on the roads. There is enough development going on in Taunton and the leader of Taunton Deane Borough Council and the leader of Somerset County Council should have the guts to tell this inadequate and stupid government to call a halt to concreting over the entire county of Somerset. I also vehemently object to the provision of housing and sites for gypsies and travellers anywhere - if they are travellers, why are they so keen to stay in one place and why should we provide them with housing, let alone affordable housing?

• I have attended a number of meetings of Killams and Mountfields residents and it is clear to me that this development area (otherwise known as the Vivary green wedge) is totally unsuitable for the proposed project. One of my key objections is the issue of traffic congestion and the already overburdened infrastructure. It is all well and good to suggest that we should all be encouraged to walk, cycle or use the bus service to get from A to B but anyone can see that this is not going to affect the congested and dangerous South Road route into the town centre. The same would be true for traffic that eventually ends up queueing all the way up the Illminster Road and beyond as it tries to reach the dual carriage way. Looking at the situation in my street, Mountfields Road, it is clear that there is already too much traffic trying to move in and out. On any day, the road is jammed with illegal parking at the entrance of the street by people using the Post Office, Butcher or Dillons shops. Parking restrictions have been useless. This situation is compounded by students and residential parking. It should be remembered that the street was designed for 1930's traffic and at a time when I imagine that few residents in the area could afford such a luxury. Now we are looking at a minimum of two cars per family. Why does anyone think that the new housing residents will be persuaded to use a different form of transport? If the road is to be improved, why should we be deprived of our trees and verges? Another important factor that has been brought to my attention is that of flooding. Anyone who has ever ordered a flood report for this area will confirm that it is already at a risk to flooding. Currently Pool farm and the Wyvern have had frequent flooding episodes. The removal of any more 'green' areas can only make this worse as the slow release of water through the soil is lost. The increased flow of water towards the Blackbrook area will not be coped with. My last point concerns the Vivary wedge itself. This is a significant area of beauty and is not only important for agriculture but also as a haven for wildlife. With so many other areas of Taunton available for housing projects, must we destroy all that is beautiful in the area just so that we can reach a national target set by those who have no knowledge or interest in the area? It is my belief that once this project gets under way, it will be the beginning of the end for this area of greenary. Once the go ahead is given to remove a small chunk of it, so the reasons to carry on doing so will gain more weight. It is the very character of 'rural' Taunton that is at stake here and I sincerely hope that this project will be rejected again as it has done many times before. If anything, all the reasons for previous rejections have become more important, not less so and should not be overlooked for any unrealistic government set target.

• I think that building houses on the last bit of land Taunton has is a very bad idea. There is a lot of wildlife there and all of the animals habitats will be destroyed. There is already enough houses in Tau nton not being bought so until we actually NEED more houses I think you should stop destroying all the remaining wildlife. Imagine the amount of traffic it will cause, Taunton will just become a place full of empty houses, it won't be a place to go shopping and eventually people will just stop going. Global warming is coming and this will cause more pollution and the world just doesn't need it. So stop, and think of the amount of damage you will cause!

• Adding a further 600 dwellings with a single access point to Taunton will have an adverse impact on traffic congestion. With Tesco, SCAT, Queen's College and Musgrove only accessible by transiting Hurdle Way - the same applies in the opposite direction for residents of Trull and Queen's Drive trying to access Sainsbury, Richard Huish College and King's College. It is therefore desirable to link Trull Road with South Road to relieve this congestion and to reduce the total traffic count along Hurdle Way. This link road could be provided under a Section 106 and could contain sufficient traffic calming devices (such as those at Priorswood) to safeguard residents. The impact on the green wedge would be minimal, but there would be a beneficial effect on South Road which is already destined to suffer further congestion with the expansion of Richard Huish College.

• taunton has enough houses and not enough open space - please leave this area alone for the sake of wildlife, human life and our future. i live near wellington which needs some investment - particularly with reference to the northern relief road please consider development in this area to help the local economy instead of squeezing more into an already exhausted infrastructure

• The greenbelt must be protected and brown field sites only used for development.

• Hi, i am not sure if this will help or if it is too late but last year i saw two eels in the streams in killiams and apparently according to the Environment Agency website "Eels are listed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species". http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/112433. It needs a bit more research as i am not sure if they are endangered but i will try and find out more.

• It is a disgrace that you would even consider building on this land! Having moved from a big city (plymouth)that in my opinion was ruined by over development i fear that Taunton may be headed in the same di rection. We moved to mountfields road as we thought that it was a lovely place to raise a small family and i hope that after only two years of being here that we do not feel the necessity to move again due to this development.

• Being a geography undergraduate student from Somerset (and whose family still live in the Vivary wedge area) I am appalled to see the current plan to build 750 homes on the proposed Vivary wedge site. Being a Greenfield site the list of reasons for not using the site is never ending. I am aware of the current demand for housing both nationally and in Somerset in particular, but I find it hard to see why such an area has been suggested for construction. There are numerous sites within the Taunton Deane and surrounding areas that could be suitable for such developments with many less environmental impacts. For this reason alone I am in extreme opposition to the existing plans to build on such an area.

• Vivary Green Wedge. I do not believe the development of this area is the answer to the towns need for extra dwellings. The other strategic sites mentioned I am sure could incorporate another 250 dwellings between them, in order to contribute to the five year shortfall. The site, as mentioned in the report does not have the required facilities to hand, including a school. It would make sense not to build the houses here and then no school needs to be built. There seems to be a great emphasis on the cycle route into town. That this new site would bring the extended cycle route with it. The reports reads that a large part of the justification for the new site is this cycle path? We presently have an adequate route that takes in the natural beauty of the views. The natural views would be lost, both cycling and walking the routes would become less favourable. Traffic congestion would increase greatly on the main South and Shoreditch roads. This is already an issue at peak times. To have an increase in traffic coming out of Killams will only prolong the problem at the peak times. I feel the Killams site should not be developed. The reasons for it do not add up and do not appear to provide any justifiable benefits to the existing area. It would be a great loss to the town.

• There are far more approriate areas to build on but obviously your getting more of the wedge wanting to build there. Also you have to justify all your jobs now because of the amount of planning applications that aren't coming in anymore so anything is likely to succeed in this current climate

• Living in Oxford now but I was born in Taunton and have grown up in Mountfields where my parents are still living, I would hate to see the beautiful countryside destroyed!!

• I have recently moved to Killams and the deciding factor for our move was the fact we would be so close to the countryside whilst still living in town. The green wedge is the part we love most, the wildlife that comes into our garden and basically how quiet and safe it is for our child to grow up here. We were absolutely gutted to hear of your plans and probably wouldn’t have moved here if we had known! Please do not ruin our lovely, peaceful home with noise, traffic, pollution, congestion etc etc

• It would be a terrible shame to loose such a beautiful area which is used and enjoyed by the whole community. This construction will not only result in the loss of land but also destroy the local villages.

• It would be a terrible shame to loose such a beautiful area which is used and enjoyed by the whole community.

• If this development has to take place a new road giving appropriate access to the new homes should be in place before the homes are built.

• Mountfields Road is a nightmare as it is, with cars parked either side and only one vehical being able to go up and down at a time, the junction between Mountfields and South Road with the crossing, post of fice, Vets and other shops plus the stagered cross roads with Stoke Road is dangerous enough without increased traffic volume adding to it.

• These plans are threatening our local enviroment

• We do not need this amount of housing in this area!

• I think the government is really getting it so wrong with all the new building they are proposing. I think that TDBC should make a stand as in another 20 years you will not be able to put back which is dest royed!

• Yet another attempt to ride roughshod over the lives of local people and ruin a beautiful green wedge.

• Yet again a proposal that nobody wants, and that will do irreparable harm to the town.

• The Killams linear nature reserve would be fragmented and destroyed by the proposed development (TDBC sponsored nature walk confirmed presence of water voles; otters; kingfishers etc). The footpath/cycl e track provides a traffic free access and amenity which would be lost. The green at the end of Killams Drive has been used as an informal recreation public open space for in excess of 20 years. 2. The preservation of the Vivary green wedge has been a central plank in the Planning policy of the Deane since the inception of the Town & Country Planning Acts. To approve such a proposal would be an abdication of good planning under pressure from artificially imposed building targets. This would be nonsense and a failure for the townspeople and the local environment.

• I feel that a better site can be found than the destruction of an important part of the green wedge. I hope you listen to the public in this consultation.

• Taunton is the proud capital of Somerset. Do this and people will start to flee from the greens that are at the core of modern country style living. This might seem logical to fill this space up with houses but its digging a grave for the town's identity and unique landmark.

• The environmental Minister in 2006 has already said that the green wedge should not be tampered with. What has changed ??

• This would be such a major loss to the whole of the town, not just the immediate area next to the green wedge. Please, I urge you to decline the proposed building plans; it would be a terrible mistake to ma ke.

• This is also valuable open space for our children to play, ride bikes, walk the dog, meet friends etc etc

• :I am a regular visitor to Taunton and the South West - a tourist. Why are you seeking to reduce Taunton's value as a tourist attraction by building in inapproapriate place? I hear that Taunton has 6,500 emp ty houses. Why not do something about that instead of destroying green field sites you have long protected. Shame on you.

• We love visting the South West and for us Taunton is the gateway. It is a shame to hear that you are planning so much building for the town in inappropriate places like the Viary Wedge. Surely, this is an asset of the town, a part of its pleasant town in the country character.

• I second my wife. What are you all thinking of down there. Wise up before it's too late.

• To whom it may concern, I do not feel that development of the vivary wedge is an effective policy to counter the housing crisis we face. The loss of habitat for wildlife has not be accounted for, similarly there has been a failure to account for traffic issues and disruption. There has been a lack of consultation with the local population, Taunton does not have the capacity to cope with the suggested increase in housing. Whilst there is a need for new housing, any plans should be part of a plan approved by the local community and in fitting with the suggestions of the local area. It is inappropriate to agree a scheme without full consultation and the solution will not be in any way effective in the long term. The opposition of local residents and members of the community suggests that this is a plan dreamt up in county hall without effective consultation with local residents. The expected changes in government in the next 6th months mean that making any long term decisions now is unacceptable. We must wait and redress the need after things are settled. I find it abhorrent that little effort has been made to engage the local population. This is a key local green area that is set to be turned over to planners without any fight. I look forward to receiving your response. A full and public debate is certainly appropriate.

• Preservation of Taunton's Green Wedge must be of prime importance in demonstrating the planning authorities' commitment to the continuation of Taunton as a healthy and desirable location in which to live an d raise families. To erode it would be short sighted in the extreme.

• It would be an injustice to remove more green land from the area !!

• How could anyone destroy such beauty for houses, think back to when you were kids was it there then, well it should be there for the next generation as well

• I am moving to an area near to Mountfields and I am very upset that the Council wants to build on it. It is such a beautiful area for me to grow up in and I don't want to see lots of new houses and roads t here. I want to be able to play safely outside and I am worried that lots of extra traffic will mean that my road will become very busy and dangerous. I want to grow up in an area with views of green fields and wildlife, not houses and roads - please don't do it!

• keep vivary wedge! if it goes there will a lot of people unhappy.

• From a personal point of view, I moved to Mountfields Avenue 3 years ago because of the 'countryside' feel and the whole rural aspect of the area, which is gradually becoming more and more non existent in T aunton. My 2 year old daughter looks out of the back bedroom window onto the fields and loves watching the combine harvester and tractors in the fields. She won't have the same delight in looking at a mass sprawl of houses. *With reference to Mountfields Avenue, the road is in need of resurfacing. Is it not being done now due to the proposed development and will it only be done if it goes ahead? What about damage to car tyres in the meantime? *If the verges are to be removed, what happens to my telegraph pole that has my phone line on it along with the street lights? *Aren't the verges protected anyway? *Are lessons from previous housing developments up and down the country not being learnt from in relation to the increased risk of flooding?

• Building on the Vivary Green Wedge would be a serious loss to not only the environment, but the surrounding communitee. Taunton Dean Borough Council have observed the importance of this area to the local co mmunitee through their ongoing support such as the huge gathering, published on the front page of the Somerset County Gazette. With such ongoing support for keeping the land as it is, surely it is common sense to let this land remain in it's present state, untouched.

• The decrease in air quality will cause an increase in asthma attacks. Also, the environmental damage, needlessly caused, will be irreversible.

• Despite previous Counil and developers assurances to create barriers it is clear that further breach of the Vivary Green Wedge will lead to its ultimate destruction and loss forever. I call upon the Council to properly recognise and protect this special area from development for the future.

• I am writing with reference to plans to build on the Killams and Mountfields site which is part of the Vivary Green Wedge. I object completely to any plans to build on this site, both now and in the future. This area is vital to the character of Taunton town centre. It has been protected over many years and it would be to the detriment of Taunton town as a whole not to continue to protect it. This area joins directly onto the town centre and it contributes to the health of Taunton people. It is known as the lungs of Taunton’. The fresh south westerly breeze it brings into the town stops us all from breathing polluted air and it’s presence so near the town centre gives anyone visiting it – both residents and tourists alike – a lovely sense that they are in the countryside. It contributes entirely to Taunton’s charm, something which attracts a huge number of tourists every year, and this must not be destroyed. This area also contributes to the atmosphere in Vivary Park. This park is a real asset to Taunton and if you build on any of the area behind it you will soon find that Vivary Park and all of the events which take place in it – many of which attract a huge number of tourists - will be spoiled. Don’t you call this park ‘the jewel in Taunton’s crown’? You therefore must protect it at all costs. Start building behind the park and you will not only spoil the atmosphere of the park, you will also set a precedent and in no time there will be none of the wedge left. Tourists are attracted to Taunton because it is unique. It has a close link to the countryside, simply because you can walk from the town centre directly into the countryside. Destroy the link between the town and the country and you will destroy tourism, and you will destroy many businesses in the town who depend on this industry. Take the side of the developers whose only interest is profit and you will be doing a huge disservice to the people of Taunton. The existing boundaries of the wedge must remain as they are and ‘the distinctive rural character’ of the area must be preserved forever for future generations. It is absurd to suggest that allowing this development will somehow help to better protect what remains of the wedge in future. We need to stop now, not at some future date when further encroachment is once again threatened. I also object on the grounds that the view towards the Blackdown hills and towards Cotlake Hill will be totally spoiled. This view is of important aesthetic value to Taunton. Again, spoil it by taking away this view, and you will spoil the town. There is a variety of wildlife on this site who all must be protected. There are badger setts, rare glimpses of otter in the Blackbrook, deer, a very wide variety of birds, bat colonies, kingfisher, a beautiful white and migrating geese among many others. If this area is built on, all this will be lost forever! The streams will inevitably, be polluted by run-off from the building construction materials and this will completely ruin the nature of the Blackbrook and Stockwell streams. This must not ever happen. More houses in the area would further increase the congestion on South Road towards the town centre. Have you ever tried to get along South Road during rush hour? Put houses here and the chaos will get worse. Although some residents of the new development might be persuaded to walk or cycle most will use their cars to compensate for the site’s poor accessibility to the town centre. Those who live in outlying villages who have no choice but to drive into Taunton along South Road will be further inconvenienced. There are also issues relating to further increasing the high volume of traffic that heads from South Taunton to J25 of the M5 along Chestnut Drive and so on. Increasing the traffic in the South Road area is likely to turn the existing congestion into frequent grid lock. There is already a considerable traffic hazard at the junction of Mountfields Road/South Road. Add more traffic to this and you will increase the hazard. The roads here are used by children walking to Bishop Fox’s school and these children must be protected. Plans for developing the area have been rejected in the past on the grounds of accessibility. The aforementioned inspector’s report speaks of significant walking distances to local shops and ‘more especially to the local primary school’ (p. 832). A primary school would only be added to the development at the end of the process and then not for some time. Meanwhile, the nearest primary school is over twenty minutes brisk walk away. As the inspector notes, with regard to travelling to this primary school, ‘the car is likely to be the preferred mode of travel for this purpose’ (p. 832). The new houses will be built upon the highest grade of prime agricultural land. Each year it produces a very high yield of crops when the world is running out of food! Alternative poorer soil areas should be built upon instead. The proposed site is prime agricultural land. For every hectare of British agricultural land destroyed the nation’s ability to feed itself decreases, its ‘food security’ decreases and reliance on food imports increases. Imported food means more ‘food miles’ which means more damage to the environment in term of carbon emissions. As with protecting green wedge, there is a need to draw a line in the sand with regard to preserving prime agricultural land in this country. This is an opportunity for Taunton planners to make a stand on an issue of growing importance. Building on this area of the town would be an act of vandalism. Please, do not do it!

• Some mornings it already takes 30 minutes to drive along South Road after dropping the children at Bishop Fox's school, this has to be the worst road for traffic congestion in Taunton. I am also concerned by the amount of new houses being built in a town with nothing to offer.Our shopping centre is hopeless, for children and teen clothes and shoes we now have to shop in Bristol, major business's have moved out of the town in recent years and now we are also losing the police station, how do we employ all of these people who will be moving here?? Not a lot of thought has gone into this.

• Its lovely there for wildlife. The streams enable lots of different species to live in the area. If the streams are damaged, the wildlife will die.

• i object to the housing development at killams because the scenery and wildlife will be lost. this area is beautiful and is a part of taunton and shouldn't be destroyed. i like coming here becasue it's like a town in the country. if you remove any of the wedge it will be just like anywhere else.

• There seems to be no logical reason to build in Vivary Green Wedge, especially when there is currently a surplus of housing in Taunton and the surrounding area. Taunton is not currently capable of taking that great an increase in population, it's infrastructure would not support it.

• This land is a valuable "green lung" for the town and should be retained as such for future generations.

• I object to everything about the current plans to build housing on the green wedge. For example, the traffic is terrible already without thousands of people moving into the area and making it worse. More pe ople are against this than for it, so the best idea would be to stop the plans in favour of the community.

• This cannot be allowed to go on. As an asthmatic who, because of being a student at Richard Huish college spends a lot of his time near in Taunton, the drop in air quality consequential of the the proposed development could have fatal consequences for me.

• Hi there, I spent 11 years in Sherford and the importance of saving the Vivary Wedge is hugely important. To be so close to such a huge town and still feel like you are in the countryside is due to the gree nery and the cleanliness of the air in the surrounding area. It would be detromental to the environment, the wildlife and the pure beauty to build anything, ruining our natural countryside and people's way of life in this area. Although I no longer live in Sherford, I feel very strongly that the Vivary Wedge is saved. My two children who started their lives there have thrived and I feel it has given them the best start in life to experience such a place.

• Destroying the wedge would be awful, and very detrimental to all those who live in and around Taunton or anyone who visits the town.

• This is such as stupid idea the council have suggested, of all the things taunton needs, it isnt more houses. especially not placed right behind vivary park, the reason the park is so fresh and relaxing is because it feels totally out of the way from the centre of town, because you can walk in the main gates and out the other side are fields and countryside, if it were houses there would be far too many people using the park as a short cut to town and I think this would ruin it.

• New building should always be on brownfield sites where possible. The loss of agricultural land and wildlife habitat would be permanent. We should do all we can to prevent such loss. The need for additional housing is transient (a diminishing birthrate) and there is no need to destroy unique land and habitat which cannot be replaced, simply to help prop up an ailing building industry and economy.

• As a former resident I am shocked that development is being considered on this site.

• The greenbelt policy is there for a valid reason! It applies to places most needed! Not to expand endless, godforsaken, ugly council houses, shopping centers and multi-storey car parks!

• Taunton is nicer than Bridgwater because it has a lovely park and because of the flower show and the party in the summer. it is lucky to have such a lovely park that stretches in to the countryside with the streams running through it. You will ruin it if yo build on land here. And yo will add to the traffic problems on South Road and people will be delyed even more.

• Taunton has terrible pollution. The world has global warming. Build houses here miles away from the motorway junction where everyone wants to go to to get to work and you will add to the pollution. Taunton should be doing its bit to lessen global warming.

• I hate the journey to college every day. It takes me ages to get along South Road from the bus station on the bus. I am always late and there is nothing I can do about it. Public transport in this part of town is rubbish. You need to get the services right before you start adding more and more people. People living here won't use the buses. They are rubbish. They will drive and so people will have to spend even longer in their cars. This will add to the pollution, I thought we were supposed to be cutting down on pollution, not adding to it. This sounds like a really stupid idea to me. Who is in charge? Who makes the decisions? They need to start thinking about what they are doing because they dont' seem to have a clue to me.

• Why do councils always get these things so wrong? You need to make sure there are enough roads, schools, shops in an area before you start adding houses. There is already too much traffic along this road. I go to Richard Huish College and the journey in every day is a nightmare. People are going to start going to other colleges in other towns if you make the congestion worse. You should be preserving land to grow food on. One day there will be even more people and they will all need food. They can live anywhere, but you can't grow food just anywhere. This is top quality agricultural land. Save it for the future. One day your children will be grateful to you for that.

• Building on this area will be an act of vandalism.

• i have lived in taunton all my life and i've seen the traffic get worse and worse. if you build houses in this part of town i hope you will have the common decency to make the roads better rather than expect people to go on suffering in the traffic jams that already hold them up in the morning on south road. this causes people stress. what abou tthe loss of food? surely we should be securing land for growoing food on. we need agricultural land. not houses. the pollution in taunton is already bad. i have asthma and sometimes i have to go to the hills so i can breathe cos tauntons air is so bad. more cars in traffic jams = more pollution. dont build here. don't build at all. itsnot needed. there are enough houses already.

• I play sport at the Wyvern. It's lovely there and I know lots of other sports teams are jealous of the town because it is so lovely there. Why do you wnat to ruin this view? And it floods here.

• :There are already too many people trying to get across South Road in the morning. Why dont you try to resolve that one before you do something like this which will make the situation worse? Seems to me nobody knows what they are doiong in the planning offices any more. You are planning to build houses somewhere where they will cause even more queues ... this is not planning!!! Fortunately I won't be coming to Taunton for much longer and if you ruin it then I probably won't come back which is a shame really because its quite nice at the moment.

• I drive down south road every day. It already takes me ages to get to town. I don't want to have to spend even longer waiting for the traffic to move. Businesses already waste money in queues. Build houses here and the queues will get bigger and businesses will lose more money and so will leave the town. And so nobody will have any where to work.Its time for JOINED UP THINKING. Build houses near main roads. Not in the furthest possible point away from the roads.

• I am still at college and I'd quite like it if you would look after Taunton so that by the time I am older and have children it is still a nice place to live in. Don't build houses without first building ro ads/schools/hospitals/doctors surgeries/shops. And don't build on the wedge because where else are we going to all be able to go to get away from one another once the population has increased? And where else are we going to grow high quality food? And where else will we see kingfishers, egrets,migrating geese, badgers, water vole, otters... Build here and you will spoil eveything that is good about this town and I won't want to bring my children up in a horrible place. It's my future. Don't ruin it. Please.

• I object to this because it is such a lovely place to be. I play sport at the Wyvern and building houses between the sports centre adn the hills will spoil the view. This view is really special. You should bottle the view, not build on it!

• you've already ruined yeovi, don't make taunton look like yeovil. you need green spaces in the middle of town. otherwise it's horrible. like yeovil.

• The stream is the natural border. If you allow building beyond this border now you will never stop.

• Buiding here will do the same thing for that side of town and you've already done near where I live. You will spoil all of Taunton in stead of some of it.

• I have to go down South Road every day. It takes me an hour sometimes to get from my house to the town. Are you going to improve the roads before you add more houses? I hope so.

• its lovely there so dont build on it. you can't get it back once its gone.

• We regularly have visitors who love walking in this area. They are very jealous of it because they don't live in such a lovely place as this. So why spoil it? Why make it like everywhere else when you don't need to?

• Don't. Just don't.

• This area of Taunton is already congested. Add more people without first making room on the roads for them is mad. The vivary green wedge is an asset to the town. Why on earth are you considering ruining this? Don't you care? you let them build on the field where I live. This estate is ugly enough. Don't let this happen again.

• This is a beautiful area. Don't build here. leave the animals alone.

• I have to drive into Taunton from Blagdon Hill. I do this every day and I have to travel down South Road. This is a dangerous road already with the college and the schools. You will make it worse by adding houses and no new roads. Sometimes it takes me 50 minutes to get from Shoreditch Road to Taunton town centre. Life is too short for this and I will have to move away.

• I have to drive down south Road every day to get to Taunton from Churchinford. You obviously don't care that it will take me much longer - I have no alternative but to drive every day!! This is really mean of you.

• My family are in Taunton and as a regular visitor to the area I feel that this is my only chance to object to the plans. Some of my relatives live in Mountfields Road and overlook the beautiful countryside, where we often go for walks, which will be destroyed if plans go ahead. It will be a disgrace if buildings go ahead and have access past and directly outside their home. It is unfair on wildife and people who live in the area.

• With my family for each of the last 8 years we have spent holiday time in Taunton. I consider Taunton to be the most beautiful town in the country. An integral part of the attraction of Taunton is the Viv ary Green Wedge. Building houses on it will ruin it forever and for my family destroy what we love about Taunton, and one of our reasons for visiting.

• I have visited your Town a number of times and am familiar with the area in question. You don't know how lucky you are having such a wonderful facility to walk and breath fresh air. If you build on this bea utiful area, you have lost it. I have walked down the path between Killams and Mountfields that is adjacent to the fields you plan to build on. It is such a crying shame to destroy the wondeful wild life habitat established there. Shame on you for even considering it.

• Since my son and daughter inlaw moved to tauntom some 5 years ago, I have been a frequent visitor to your beautiful town. It disturbs immensley that you have caught the national bug of developing on every p iece of land available regardless of quality or need.i walk down the path between Killams and Mountfield next to thearea in question and think what a lovely outlook to have on your back door step. It is easy to see that 600+ houses placed on this area will destroy that forever. This is not second grade land, brownfield or otherwise. This is heritige quality. They say you don't miss something until you don't have it. Have a bit of commonsense,build only when and where you need to. Don't slavishly follow a stupid government edict that will change on a whim anyway. Economically we're going nowhere for the next 10 years. I remember the 50's and then we had to export ourselves out of the mess before we had a right to spend it. Take advise from someone who has seen it all before. KEEP THE VIVARY GREEN WEDGE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN

• dont ruin what country side we have left

• I think it is important to maintain green areas in and around Taunton, this adds to the appeal of the town.

• :i play football at the wyvern. this area is fantastic for recreation. it has gorgeous views. it also floods often!! don't build on it.

• I often walk my dog in on the green and it is an area of outstanding beauty! Do not build houses on this area. The area floods its is incomprehendable that you would want to build houses on this land its ju st setting up problems for the future

• this area is vital to taunton's health. it is beautiful. the views are gorgeous here. the animals like living here. it floods. taunton has already got lots of empty houses. don't do this.

• I work in Wellington and until recently lived near Taunton. I am dismayed that the beauty and unspoilt nature of Taunton is under threat. If these plans are implementet I will seriously consider changing jo bs and not visiting Taunton area again.

• Vivary green wedge is a beautiful area and a building these new house will further pollute tauntons (what should be fresh countryside air) Doing this in the current crisis of global warming is absolutely unacceptable!!!!!!!

• taunton needs this area of land. do not build here. it is beautiful as it is. we need open green spaces. it has beautiful views to the blackdowns when i go to the wyvern.

• This development, if granted, will be the thin end of the wedge and the start of the end for the villages bordering the South and West of Taunton. Trull's recent Housing Survey proved that no further devel opment needs to happen. The spatial strategy is a flawed document, out of touch with reality and should be canned.

• There are plenty of 'brownfield' sites available which the Council has the power to re-designate for housing. These sites are closer to the town centre meaning that people can commute, shop and engage in le isure activities using public transport rather than adding to the town's pollution by using a car.

• We live in Trull & the massive amount of housing proposed on beautiful countryside around us is disgraceful. The increased traffic, increase in the number of houses in the Trull School catchment area (which is already suffering terribly from overcrowding) & the merging of Trull with Taunton to form a suburb rather than a village is terrible. It may be Government policy to build these extra houses but the general public are against such building. Britain is an island which will end up a concrete city in the future as our lovely countryside once built on will be gone forever.

• Building anymore houses in this town is completely ridiculous. Before even contemplating building more houses you should look at improving and developing the facilities we have already, which are over-stret ched and over flowing. Schools, doctors, the hospital, the police force.. all of these things need adressing before you build ANOTHER housing plot. We dont have enough facilities for the people of Taunton as it is, the traffic on the town centre is jam packed all the time, you have to wait hours at the hospital, days for a doctors appointment.. where do you think all the new people will fit in?? Build a new school, a new hospital, provide more recreational places for children, teenagers and adults, no wonder the teenagers hang around in parks getting drunk and taking drugs... what else is there for them to do in this town? Concentrate on the people that are already here instead of bombarding us with thousands of new houses we dont need.

• I wish to object to the proposed development on the Vivary Green Wedge. I do not believe that the infrastructure of Taunton is capable of coping with the volume of traffic created by the number of new residents and the pollution resulting from this, the effect that it will have on our public services such as schools and the hospital. I think it would be tragic to lose the green wedge which brings the countryside right into the centre of town and I seriously question why it is necessary to destroy green fields when there appears to be a huge amount of brown field land which is laying empty at the moment on sites around Taunton like the old gas works at Tangier, at Firepool, at Norton Fitzwarren and Silk Mills Road.

• I wish to object in the strongest terms possible about the proposed development on the Taunton Wedge. I believe the wedge is critical to the "feel" and rural character of Taunton, with the countryside and its wildlife coming right into the town centre. I fail to see the need for any further development of this type given that there is also a significant amount of development land around Taunton in locations such as Norton Fitzwarren, Silk Mills and Comeytrowe which is laying fallow awaiting devlopment. There are also many newly built but unsold properties around the town. Please, please make use of your existing opportunities, rather than covering more of our beautiful rural landscape with unwanted brick boxes which will undoubtedly blight the lives of everyone living on South Road, Mountfields and Killams.

• Please do not sell out to the developers. If you really care about the people of Taubnton you will leave the Vivary Wedge alone

• I often come to Taunton to stay with my daughter at Killams Lane and am shocked to hear about building plans for the rural area near her home. I'm amazed TDBC could allow such urban vandalism to such a beau tiful area. I often walk down the pathway by the Blackbrook and think how marvellous it is that a council has defended this green wedge for the enjoyment of all against unsympathetic urban development. I particularly enjoy seeing and hearing the birds and the views of the Blackdowns,Cotlake Hill and across the fields.I can't envisage walking on that pathway and seeing a sea of high density housing instead. Have you also thought of the increase in traffic and resultant pollution.When I was young ,I am now 89,most people walked,cycled or took the tram,nowadays everyone gets into their car just to go short distances, even a few yards to the shop.Lives are busier, mum and dad both work and time is precious. I don't agree with this constant use of the motor car but it is a fact of life.As the old saying goes you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. I am doing this while staying at my daughter's and because I am so shocked to hear of your plans.

• As a former resident of Taunton may I say how saddened I was to read in the County Gazette of TDBC's intentions of building on this prime agricultural land. If the plans are passed it will be an absolute d isgrace. Taunton residents are furious about it, so why dont you listen to them, after all they are the people who voted for you. You are supposed to be representing THEIR wishes, and they are shouting loud enough for you to hear.

• Green fields should stay green

• Due to climate change houses should not be built where there is an increased risk of flooding. The inevitable increase in traffic will cause a decrease in the air quality. Where are the shops, extra schools and GP provisions going to be provided.

• I am a student at Richard Huish college and doing environmental studies I have learn the importance of Green Belts such as this. I think it is disgusting that such sites are only protected until someone off ers the council a large amount of money. If this site is built on in a few years people will forget what it was like before, and then someone else will suggest just using 'a bit of it' to build something else until our green space is small and barely able to support the wildlife that need it. By building on this site TDBC are setting a bad example for the future.

• Taunton is a really pretty town and I often go to the town centre and then into the park. I also use the Wyvern regularly to play football and cricket. I love the views to the Blackdowns and it would be a pity to spoil them. You should think again about building here.

• The whole housing issue has become completely out of hand. We have brown field sites in the TDBC area that could be usefully developed for both housing and employment. We are a county that relies heavily on Tourism and our council seems determined to ruin the countryside and villages that visitors to the area come looking for. To quote Cat Stevens - Where will the children play - look up the song read the words and think!

• Dear Sir/Madam I am writing this to express my deep concern over the proposal to construct housing on Vivary Green Wedge. This green area is unique; it would be a travesty to go ahead with the proposed development because once it’s violated it can never be replaced. It’s a peaceful area to walk, and the view from Cotlake Hill is second to none; with views towards the Quantocks, Mendips and Blackdown Hills. I hope you will consider my views

• This is such a beautiful rare and fragile part of the world. It would be short-sighted blundering of the worst kind to blight it with this inappropriate, hastily thrown together development. I know there is a shortage of good housing in the Taunton area, but this is not the solution. Surely you se e that?

• Dear Sir/Madam I am writing this in order to express my disappointment over the proposed development of 750 houses to be built on Taunton’s Green Wedge. As a student at Richard Huish College, I am deeply concerned about the increase in traffic. At the moment, congestion and the number of cars is a nightmare when making my daily walk to the college. The proposed development will only add to the number of vehicles on the road and threaten my safety as well as my peers. In addition, the land in question, is in my opinion one of Taunton’s greatest assets. I see the area as a haven to walk my dogs, and more importantly I feel safe there. It is also a great place to meet other walkers, if this is lost where will be people meet and will this threaten the tight knit community the area has to offer? Furthermore, I am extremely apprehensive over the environmental affects this development will have. For instance, the area in question is home to a profusion of wildlife such as badgers, a large variety of bird including Canadian Geese and a white egret and is also home to bat colony. I hope you take my comments into consideration

• This hasn't been thought through at all. Where are all these people going to work? How will construction equipment get in and out? It's certain to have a devastating impact on a town whose value depends on its being perceived as peaceful, relaxed and easy to access. Summerfield Homes have done some nice developments in the past, but this time they've got the council wrapped around their little finger. Come on TDBC. Grow a pair.

• Sir/Madam, I have walked my dog over the fields of the Green Wedge for the last 20 years. I don't want to see the destruction of the flora and fauna of this amenity. You can't possible allow this development to go any further.

• The permanent damage to the existing Wildlife habitat
  
• Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to complain against the proposed housing developments in Taunton's "Green Wedge". Having recently moved from the South East to Taunton, I am astonished that the Council can even contemplate the destruction of such valuable amenity and agriculture. The wedge is directly accessible to Tautonians and visitors alike, making the countryside our back door and available to all and not just the "Landed Gentry".

• The Green Wedge is an attribute that most towns and cities would love to have. Where in this country can you walk from a busy town centre, cross one major road, walk through a park, pass a cricket ground a nd golf course and find oneself in the countryside? The planners and developers should feel ashamed at even thinking that they can decimate the fabric of our town. This would be vandalism on a huge scale. We talk about teenage hooligans but here we have planners and developers who are about to embark on the worst act vandalism Taunton has ever seen. Good luck to you ladies and gentlemen, but can you truly say your conscience is clear over this matter?

• It will ruin the town, its structure, and the green and pleasant areas I so enjoy walking in for peace and quiet forever. Isn't the development at Firepool enough as it is to have this as well?

• Although I am but a Yank in another country, I stand with the citizens of Taunton in support of saving Vivary Green Wedge. There is no call, no need for the proposed development and the negative aspects of such development are profound. It is a treasure that, once lost, can NEVER be replaced. Please consider the very valid reasons to reject his development and please respect the also valid opinions of the residents.

• vivary is a beautiful area that should not be made part of the '21st century craze' that is building on every pretty part of the country we have left. i personally have very found memories of the area, and went to the school right next to it. i feel this proposal is being done for the wrong reasons & that hopefully enough people will have an impact to make this change not happen! the entire idea has a massive effect on the quality of life in taunton, and not in a good way!

• It is beauty spot that has been known to residents in the vicinity of the Vivary Wedge for years. To build houses in this area will ruin the wildlift habitat, there will be increased flooding, the views to rwards Cotlake Hill and the Blackdown Hills will be lost. The loss of prime agricultural land would be criminal, I know it is put to good use. The increase in traffic would be a nightmare. I know this area well, I have family members living in the area and I visit often. There must be rundown properties around or within the town of Taunton, that could be refurbished and made suitable for home accommodation. Surely it would be cheaper to do this, with either selling or renting the accommodation once the work had been carried out. Sweeping away land with the stroke of a pen, expecially in green areas, has to come to an end, and population educated not to produce so many children. If the rate of disappearing green areas is not curbed soon, there will be relaxation/leisure areas left.

• Further developing Taunton in its current economic state makes little sense, it may bring more damage than improvement...

• I have also supported this with a letter sent to the council indicating my previous connections with Taunton and voicing my objections in detail. I am a former resident of Fullands Road, Taunton.

• I lived in Taunton for ten years and all of my family still lives there. The Vivary area, including the parkland and the fields have always been a prime location for our walks, for exercising both children and dogs. I have relatives living in Mountfields so I see the area regularly even now. I cannot believe that the Vivary Wedge is being considered for more housing. The wildlife will be devasted and a local site for recharging ones batteries will be gone for ever if this development is permitted. I now live in Cirencester where there has bee n building on an area called Watermoor which has resulted in the original surrounding housing areas being flooded twice in the last 3 years. This is just what would happen in Taunton to Mountfields, Killams and South Road if the suggested housing goes ahead. I am appalled.

• kids need countryside!

• Vivary Wedge is a prime area, with high biodiversity value. In my personal opinion it is unique to Taunton town centre. Please rethink this development for your sake and ours.

• Please register my strong opposition to any development on the green wedge. To allow any development will undermine the purpose of the wedge, which in previous plans has always been seen as vital for Taunton.

• I have enjoyed and appreciated Vivary Green Wedge

• They can't do this, they will ruin a lot of peoples good memories, no matter what age they are!!!

• Many of my family live and work in Taunton and we are very attached to the area particularly the green spaces around it, all towns need these. The constant destruction of such important areas dictated by pe ople who will not have to live with the consequences of their actions. The idea is deplorable!

• Although I do believe the Killams area was constructed in a very similar way as to how the proposals are for more resisential buildings upon the farm land still left, it needs to be considered that Taunton is an area renown for access to beautiful views and and one of the few places in England still left to boast agricultural activity. With the ever increasing importance of sustainability and agricultural land and knowledge I strongly believe that the continued destroying of land is an extremely bad idea. Take a stand, at the beggining of 'climate chaos' knowledge as we are now fully aware of the effects we are having on the earth, and learn that excess building is going to eventually be disastrous

• Please think again. once this is gone, It's gone forever !

• we don't want thousands of new houses cropping up everywhere ruining the green land, which makes Taunton special and is part of the reason people want to move here in the first place. If people want to live in an ugly over populated town, I'm sure they'll easily find one. Once a green space is lost, it's gone forever and only very few people would think, "that was a great idea!".

• By building on Vivary Green Wedge you are taking away the prime reason for wanting to live in the area, taking away the character and charm of the area along with destroying innocent wildlife habitats unnecessarily.

• This cannot be allowed to go ahead, it would be a disaster to the area.

• This would be an unacceptable loss of open country in a town that is starting to sprawl in too many directions.

• the students of Richard Huish see the area as a way of escaping from both college and town - it is a haven for quiet reflection and is as if there is a patch of countryside for us to retrat to in the busy town, convienently reached through the back of the college, and we value it very highly.

• this area only has its natural beauty to offer, we must not disregard this.

• It is vital to maintain a greenbelt area around Taunton to stop the relentless growth subsuming the surrounding villages and to prevent the loss of our countryside and all the benefits that go with it.

• I am also opposed to the proposed building at Comeytrowe & Staplehay. Neither sites has the road infrastructure to accommodate the increased traffic & we have no school places, primary & secondary for all the children. You have just enforced the closure of Blagdon Hill school, the currant schools are to capacity. No dentists, doctors etc. Where will all t hese people work, Taunton has no industry only service, support etc. It's "living in cloud cookcoo land"

• Wherever I walk or drive in this town and surrounding area I see new buildings going up. There seems to be no space left in this town that is safe from diggers and ugly brick. I know we're an expanding to wn but I think we've expanded enough for now.

• I don't want to have to walk to college surrounded by houses, or through the middle of a housing estate

• As usual local consultation has been minimal and local democracy is steamrollered

• Vivary green wedge is a beautiful place it would be a crime to destroy it! why doesn't the government sort out the MP's with two houses they don't need rather than building new horribly cheap looking buildi ngs over the nicest parts of the country.

• I strongly feel that the use of the Vivary Green Wedge land is not a suitable area for use to build new housing structures. I understand there may be a need for new housing in the Taunton area, however I feel that this area of land is not the right one to chose for such a project. Any building on the Vivary Green Wedge or surrounding areas e.g. around Trull would significantly damage the wildlife and general quality of living within the area.

• As an old MYP for Taunton Deane + West Somerset in the UK Youth Parliament, I am disheartened to see that such plans are being considered. Last year and this year Climate Change has been one of the key issues in our Somerset manifesto, proving that young people in Somerset care about our environment and the effects Climate Change is having on our planet. By building houses on the Vivary Green Wedge it would decrease young people's trust that Taunton Deane Borough Council are listening to our views. As young people are the future i would be greatly disheartened if these views were not taken seriously.

• The vivary wedge is a very important part of taunton and we shouldnt be building on it!

• Why doesn't the government and councils look at all of the derelict buildings that could be renovated and used before they make targets for new houses to be built. Once they are there, there is no going back - the land will be ruined!

• Taunton will lose its green beauty and it will just become another of those industrial disgusting towns there are all around England! let's preserve its beauty!!!!!

• I moved to Killams, when the new houses in Killams Green were built and loved the area immediately. It was quiet and peaceful. Every day I would walk through the park and up Mountfields to go to Richard Hui sh College and also to walk my dogs. I think it will be devasting for all the local residents if this planning for new houses goes ahead. The traffic increase on Mountfields and Killams will be horrible. Dangerous! No longer will residents have a safe park where they can enjoy walks and walk their dogs. The traffic increase will be horrible, all ready South Road in the mornings and evenings at rush hour is bad, but with the increase of volume of traffic generated by the new houses, will congest the roads into Taunton even more. I think it will be devasting if this development goes ahead and really think that this will be detrimental to the local areas and to Taunton. It will be a great shame to see the impact that this development will have on the local areas.

• I have visited Taunton on many occasions to see family and know the Vivary Green Wedge well. The plans to destroy this area of outstanding natural beauty are both incomprehensable and outrageous, the sheer stupidity of it beggars belief. I would stongly urge TDBC to do the right thing and regect this proposal.

• I live very close to this area (Wilton) and I strongly object any building on Vivary Green Wedge.

• It is a monstrous idea that has no place in our modern society of environmental awareness!

• There is not enough employment in the town to sustain these new residents and the existing schools are already over-subscribed! You need to concentrate on increasing employment opportunities and congestion (this does not mean selling carparks for development). This is supposed to be the county town of Somerset yet prospective companies prefer Bridgwater, Exeter and other towns! Learn from the mistakes in Gloucester and Shrewsbury, having built on flood plains look what happened!

• There is just not the schooling facilities or infrastructure to support such a development. In a world recession and house sales being at an all time low how are they going to be sold?

• I live nearby and have done all of my life and myself, my family and friends do not want to see the loss of beautiful and important wildlife and countryside. New buildings should be built on brownfield site s and replace existing buildings that have fallen into disrepair. Not on areas that are meant to be green wedges and provide access to the countryside for those living in a town. In addition the roads, and public transport are already congested enough as it is and an extra 750 new buildings would simply make this worse. As well as this our town would be unable to cope with a sudden increase in numbers, including our local schools, which are already full as it is, there would be nowhere for chidlren to go.

• Building on the Vivary Green Wedge would destroy the character of Taunton and the village of Trull which would merely be swallowed up in an ever increasing area of urban sprawl and lose its individual ident ity becoming a suburb. Taunton itself is virtually at gridlock at certain times and the proposed development and the increased population it would bring would mean that the entire local infrastructure would be overwhelmed.

• if everyone is complaining about the enviroment, i know what will give up a positive step forward, lets use lots of machines to build on pieces of natural oxygen making substances.....YAY! or not!! i think its stupid! i may be only 15, but i can tell when theres a missjudgement of justice, this is one!!

• I feel the proposed development is not in the best interestest of Taunton, and should not be pursued.

• This is crazy, you need to re-evaluate your plans for expansion and new build housing, no way will the local community stand for the destruction of such a large area of land. think on it, and make the right decision!

• democracy speaks..

• Leave nature be for once - it's getting harder and harder to keep contact with it as it is.

• My friends and i used to use the wedge for recreational time where we were able to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life during our college days.

• My family live and work in Taunton and I visit it regularly. It would be an act of sheer madness to build on this land. It contributes a great deal to the character of TAunton town centre and to the air qu ality. Building houses on this side of town without adding new roads will cause further congestion and considerable hazard at the junction of Mountfields Road. As a former pupil of Bishop Fox's school I have witnessed many near misses at the junction with South Road and along Mountfields Road on my way to and from school. It is already dangerous. Don't increase that danger by increasing the traffic and not improving the road. I would, one day, like to return to Taunton to live. I am currently training as a physiotherapist and my intention is to return to the area when I am qualified so that I may set up my own business there. However, if you spoil the town then the quality of life will deteriorate and I will not want to come back. Don't turn Taunton in to Swindon! Taunton is a lovely, unique town. Please do not spoil it by allowing developers to build on land that is as precious as this area is to the town.

• There have been a great many new homes already in this area, permanently destroying farmland, countryside, habitats and woodlands. There are many empty properties in Taunton which could be renovated and br own field sites which could be used. My hudband and I both work in taunton and as a family we use the local shops. We walk, cycle and camp in the countryside and it's permanent loss to housing would be disasterous to the town.

• This is just ridiculous to even consider building homes on greenbelt. I object wholly to the building on the Vivary wedge for the reasons listed above. I also have not seen any justification for the building of 18000 homes in the Taunton area, over the next decade or so. The roads can barely handle the current traffic let alone a possible 36K+ that will come with such an inordinate number of homes. Why we need 18K is betond me I see only a handfull of homeless people in our locale. I also don't see evidence of 18 000 jobs in the Gazette. Birthrate is decreasing, as is immigration. I know that the government are scared stiff of a sustainable economy (instead of infinate growth) and capping population growth (i.e. putting a limit on how many children per couple), but this is what we need. Building houses is not the answer. Face the facts, be brave and do the right thing.

• I am opposed to the proposed development of the Vivary Green Wedge at the Killams/Mountfields area. It is such a beautiful area which would be destroyed by development. The views would be lost and it woul d have a significant impact on the traffic congestion at South Road and the very dangerous junction at Mountfields Road.

• We should learn from our past mistakes and preserve what little green space we have left.

• I am strongly opposed to the proposed development of the Vivary Green Wedge at the Killams/Mountfields area. It would be devastating for the residents of Taunton to lose such a beautiful area of farmland a nd green space for housing development.

• Once you build on this green belt land you will never ever get it back, its gone forever....

• Its a travasty that we are destroying areas of beauty like this , it is terrible for the locals that live in the area, let alone the wild life habitat.

• My most important concerns are associated with the increase risk of flooding and the loss of wildlife habitat

• Spoiling yet another beautifull part of our country just to make money, it's wrong and once done can never go back to how it was!

• It's about time that the already empty houses got used, before building more!! There is no need to spoil the land with yet more housing estates. Building companies can't sell the ones they have already.

• We regularly travel from Tiverton, Devon for shopping because the town is unique due to its central green areas - to open countryside. This development will change the town forever - thus become yet another urban sprawl which we will avoid.

• I am an ex-resident of Taunton and strongly obect to the councils plans to build on Vivary's Green Wedge.

• It's not called a 'Green Wedge' for nothing. With Green Belt disappearing too then Green Wedges are all that's left. This is an important green corridor linking Taunton town centre with it's rural surrounds . I visit family in Taunton regularly and often enjoy walking in the area of the proposed development.

• I object to the building of more and more houses when there is perfect land available somewhere else. If this happens it will be ruining one of the great green places in Taunton, which will be a huge disappointment.

• I have visited Taunton many times whilst on holiday during my youth, and this would completely ruin the Vivary Green Wedge.

• This development work will be such a huge blot on the landscape - you must realise this - look somewhere else please.

• It will ruin the area and change the whole feel of the town for the worse.

• Localised flooding does occur now at Killams copse, following the flooding of the Mountfields area some 30 years ago, improvements to the Blackbrook were carried out. However since then considerable hig h density development at Lower Holway, Hillyfields and the Blackbrook commercial park lower down stream have occurred. The proposed high density development in the wedge on higher land upstream will make a potential flood risk much greater. 2 The land is well farmed this Country cannot continue to allow the loss of productive land in a world where food demand is increasing rapidly - this would be strategically disastrous. 3. Development of the wedge would damage the environment of the whole town and not just the immediate area.

• This is lunacy. There are millions of empty buildings in the uk, how about filling them up first and then some financial incentives for not having children!

• As an ex Richard Huish student i highly object to the building of more houses. In my opinion there is land available elsewhere that is more suited to the building of houses. The building proposes many ris ks to Taunton and and could possibly decrease the number of visitors to Taunton if work continues.

• As a regular visitor to the area I am always amazed and delighted at the variety of wildlife found so close to the town centre within the Vivary Green Wedge. This is such a benefit for the town and its residents that it should be encouraged and enlarged, not built upon. Please look at other sites in your area and support the local MP in taking this unrealistic target back to Government.

• I am apposed to any housing development in the Vivary Green Wedge.

• We need to keep this area safe from Developers. It is a beautiful part of Taunton which attracts people to the area. Families walk and play here, wildlife breeds here and our air quality is good because thi s is here, untouched. The plans that TDBC are submitting do not make any sense to local people, new houses built recently are not selling so why add more to the mix. Leave the Vivary Wedge alone for future generations to enjoy, we are always being told to think to the future, recycle, cut fuels etc and now you the very people who promote this mantra want to commit Environmental vandleism - please do the right thing and listen to the voters.

• This area of the town is beautiful. It should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

• You need to increase the quality of the rest of taunton before you can even think about trying to cram more people in, and why ruin the main draw of taunton, which is its close proximity to the countryside.

• I visit Taunton for holidays and I don't want to see this lovely bit of countryside ruined for 5000 new homes.

• I object to building on areas of natural beauty and significance. Also I object to such plans when it directly affects the character of the area. I work in Taunton and enjoy working there due to the atmosphere and surroundings which I would not like to be affected by the proposed development.

• I work at Richard Huish College in Taunton and live locally. My husaband and I moved to this area to appreciate the wonderful quality of life and are now very concerned about the plans for a huge amount of new housing being built on green field sites. We must use the brown field sites of which there are so many and preserve our green spaces while we can

• I do not object to Taunton town being made larger, but the green wedge is an integral part of the design of Taunton, and as such should be protected.

• Please don't build on this precious land. Surely you can see that this is going to kill wildlife and contribute towards urbanisation and urban sprawl? Please, we implore you to see reason! Sometimes you jus t have to bite the bullet and admit that what you are about to do has as many cons as it does pros. I understand that the situation you are in is very pressurous, and that more people are needing housing, but please not here, on lushous green fields. I love Taunton, it has such prosperity and freshness - it is what Somerset is known for! Don't merge it in with the rest of Concrete England.

• It would be a terrible shame to loose such a beautiful area to concrete, I know that I'd miss seeing it when I return from university for the summer. Somerset is known for being one of the greenest places i n England and I think that by building on Vivary Green Wedge you would be destroying a precious part of who we are, so please don't be pushed into ruining our heritage by a corporation who wouldn't think twice about turning the world grey.

• I visit Taunton regularly to visit friends and take holidays, this will ruin the whole area.

• We really must realise that Taunton just has not the infrastructure for any more housing. I appreciate it's needed but I believe rush hour traffic in South Road and indeed the rest of the town will justify the arguement.

• We really must realise that Taunton just has not the infrastructure for any more housing. I appreciate it's needed but I believe rush hour traffic in South Road and indeed the rest of the town will justify the arguement.

• It is difficult to understand why such a resourse as the "Wedge" is being attacked when significant empty housing stock exists currently.

• We have friends who live in the area and this development would destroy the area.

• As a regular visitor to this area I object totally to the building of houses on this land.

• I used to live in the beautiful area surrounding Vivary Green Wedges, waking up every morning to the sound of birds and smell of the countryside and rural living. The news of this tranquil setting disrupted by more urbanisation saddens me and hope these few words don’t fall on deaf ears.

• I have friends in Taunton and visit often. Destroying this piece of land is irrepairable and wrong. When will the council start to put the people who voted for them first and do what's right??? Look around - there are plenty of other areas to choose on which to build new housing!

• British Gov gone mad

• The building of houses will bring many more people to the area, which the towns infrastructure simply can't support. There are too many people/too much traffic etc. as it is.

• Vivary Wedge represents the little 'green' space that there still is around Taunton: don't destroy it! It's valuable in other respects as well; the sancity of life, for instance. Animals could be minded (Si nger) and you are breeching their rights! Please leave this land be, or forever live with your sin.

• This entire scheme is an abomination. To go forward with these plans would be completely irresponsible and immoral. The future of the town and of the people should not be jeopardized for the sake of the building contractors' pockets! Anyone with any sense can envisage the consequences of this plan and I, on behalf of all the students of Taunton, strongly, firmly and relentlessly OPPOSE this madness. Save our wedge. Save our town. Save our future.

• There are many new build houses in the Taunton area unsold already this seems to prove no more houses are required at the moment. The traffic situation in Taunton is gridlocked on a regular already without adding more congestion.

• I Object to the permanent damage to the existing Wildlife habitat because there are those that won't accept this.

• I believe that the only positives of the proposed development are in the interests of the construction company. I am sure you will find it extremely difficult to find any member of the general public who ac tually believes that this is a good idea. Why not use brownfield sites that have already been ruined rather than destroy perfectly good agricultural land? The green wedge is a green wedge for a reason and should forever remain that way.

• I think its an outrage that Vivary will be built on for houses, it forms the main route for my tripe to college and its a wonderful place to cycle through and a nice break from all the busy streets. on most mornings it was a a thing of beauty. I also learnt to ride my bike in that park it would an outrage to take this area away from the taunton population.

• I am appalled at the prospect of losing the wonderful green area which makes Taunton such a special town. This area must be protected for the future generations. So much of Taunton is now joining with out lying villages there is very little countryside. I would dispute that new houses are needed. How many are currently lying empty. There is not the demand for more housing that we are being encouraged to build. Thank you for listening - please do what you can to save the Vivary wedge.

• this is a ridiculous idea. DO NOT DO IT.

• It has been stated in the media that we will be lacking prime arable land and therefore may have to import more and more wheat from other countries this is due to the constant loss of land given up to deve lopers to profit from the destruction of greenfield sites!

• I have been a resident of Taunton for my entire life and am appauled at the thought that so much green land could disappear in the area.

• I completly object to the builing scheme on the vivary green wedge.

• Please leave the wedge as it is! The nicest thing about living in Taunton is the sense of being so close to the countryside. Please don't take that away.

• I am a keen walker and am currently at richard huish college. As such, i and all the students there who are doing both the Duke of edinburgh award and the basic experdition leaders award use the area of land known as vivary wedge to get out onto the hills and into the fields. Building on this land would, as well as the objections mentioned above, remove this access or otherwise limit it. possibly removing the scheme from the college all together through lack of practice space. i theresore object on behalf of the twenty bela leaders, the fifty five DoE students from last year, the sixty two from this year and the countless numbers of people that have passed through the two schemes in the last eight years. I understand the need for affordable housing in the current climate but would it be possible to looking into develping a brownfield site? let this part of our green and pleasent land remain just so...

• The development takes Taunton down a strategic dead end. The destruction of the green corridor between the country and the town centre is a strategy that takes Taunton towards being a lesser Birmingham. D o not destroy Taunton's special advantages in attracting businesses and customers. Do not turn the road system into gridlock. Do not flirt with flooding. Do not impair the health of residents by denying access to fresh air and rural relaxation. Keep Taunton the sort of place you yourselves would want to live. Leave the wedge alone.

• I currently board not too far from the site, and attend school at Queen's College on Trull Road.

• The immense pressure on existing roads that will be caused by this and related development (e.g. Galmington) will lead to an inevitable 'need' for new roads across the south side of town and further and fur ther erosion of the close-to-town countryside so valued by all residents. The service infrastructure to support these developments doesn't exist and the overall plan at a time of dire economic uncertainty is quite simply an irresponsible one.

• i have also enjoyed long walks with my dogs around the green wedge, I will be very disappointed if it gets ripped up and 700 houses get built there. these fields are my playground please don't take them awa y... :(

• This is an important piece of land that should not be built on. It has wonderful wildlife living on it. During my frequent walks I see the beautiful Egrit. Where is he going to live, if you build on this land?? Please think long and hard before you make an irreversable decision!

• The Vivary Green Wedge is an important part ot Taunton's overall caracter. It breathes fresh air into the town centre and reminds all her residents that we are so close to the open countryside. People from all over the UK travel to the West Country to breathe this fresh air and to experience the speacial place that Taunton is. Do not make it into another concrete jungle that has occurred throughout our country

• An otter has been seen upstream from the killams cycle path. Egrets, kingfishers and various wildlife (foxes, badgers, slow worms etc)inhabit this ecologically sensitive area. Why on earth must you develop here? The return of otters to this area is real progress and attempts to clean up waterways reversed once the streams are choked with plastic bags and detritus from buildings

• My children and I often walk on this lovely land as we live in Holway Avenue. Please do not take it away and spoil Taunton. I used to live near Reading and one of the reasons I moved was because that area is so built up now and all the towns (Reading, Winnersh, Wokingham, Bracknell etc) are now joined up in urban development. Taunton should never become like that.

• please do not bow to government pressure and build on beautiful green field land. We as a country need to feed ourselves and the fields on the green wedge provide excellent crops. What you are considering i s desecration.

• it would be an act of total destruction to do this.

• Further in depth written comments to follow

• These building plans are done under the umbrella of sustainability and this is anything but. Sustainability is on-going process, able to be continued perhaps indefinitely and land is a finite resource so this is not sustainable. DEFRA has said that we need to increase our food supply for a growing population, their suggestion is by introducing GM crops. Thi s is NOT the answer, stop building on our farmland is the answer, it is our children's future. We are already losing honey bees and no-one knows quite why, loss of native plants and habitat might well be the answer, so stop building. Common farmland birds like the lapwing and yellow wag-tail are rare now, as the common sparrow, you are ruining our environment by building, what damage are you doing to us? Our air quality is becoming poorer because of increased traffic levels with more hot spots of high nitrogen dioxide levels. This is the bit of cigarette smoke that collapses the lung!We need green belt and green spaces so do not build on Vivary Green Wedge.It is valued and loved by the local populace.

• I would also wish to express my concerns of the increased traffic posing a risk to school children walking to Bishop Foxes School & local primary schools. Children also enjoy summer wee kends & evenings playing ball games flying kites etc. on 'Killams Green'. They will be deprived a major part of their childhood if this area is built on. We must keep the green wedge for the sake of wildlife once the land is built on wildlife will be destroyed, never to be restored, again depriving children of a valuable education of 'life.