PLANS to build thousands of homes on flood plains surrounding Burnham and Highbridge were met with anger by residents at a consultation event this week.

Sedgemoor District Council hosted a consultation event over the local plan - the Local Development Framework - which outlines possible areas of development in the coming years, at a town council gathering on Monday evening.

And residents used the presentation to voice their concerns over plans to build more houses on the flood plain.

During exchanges with members of the public Nick Tait, from the council, defended potential plans to build hundreds of new homes on low-lying land in the area.

“The reality is that Bridgwater, Burnham and Highbridge are all at risk from tidal flooding,” he said.

“In Bridgwater, there is a more robust flood defence system with dredging of the Parrett and some additional improvements to flood prevention.

“In Burnham and Highbridge there is secure investment to address some of the lower areas.”

One member of the public interrupted him and asked why were they proposing to build so many homes in the flood risk areas if the council accepted there was a danger of flooding.

Mr Tait said the reason was that facilities and infrastructure were in the towns and there was nowhere else to build.

However, Mr Tait then conceded there could be a rethink on building on flood plains until more work had been done on defences to combat the problem.

“With regards Burnham and Highbridge the question is, with all the development going on, then perhaps until a well worked out flood defence strategy is in place, maybe we take a step back,” he told the meeting.

“That is the question and that is why development is an option.

“Flood defences are a priority. At this moment in time there isn’t a clear flood defence strategy here in the same way there is one for Bridgwater.”

Anthony Lynham, of Highbridge, said: “We’re told that we’re not supposed to build on flood plain areas and in Highbridge they're already building 700 homes on the flood plain. Now they want another 1,500 to be built.

“Property prices collapse when homes are flooded. The people who get flooded out can’t get insurance once it’s happened. And all the water has to go somewhere when there’s a flood. Can the existing drainage take the extra run-off water from the homes?”

He said what the Sedgemoor District Council's local plan failed to recognise was that much of the area was a flood plain, and had hundreds of rhynes and rivers running through planned developments.

Concerns were also raised by the public over the proposed new road in the consultation which some people felt would increase congestion around the Love Lane and Stodden Lane areas.

For details on the Local Development Framework visit sedgemoor.gov.uk/ldf.