Appeal ruling may not prevent 2,000 new Burnham-on-Sea homes

Barratt Homes Bristol put forward plans to build a new community south of the B3140 Brent Road, in the shadow of Brent Knoll, as part of the 'call for sites' for the new Somerset Local Plan.

The Planning Inspectorate recently ordered local resident Patricia Turner to remove residential accommodation near Brent Road (not far from the RSPCA's North Somerset animal rescue centre), citing flood risk and policies against building in the open countryside.

Barratt has now stated it is "unable to comment on the implication" of this ruling - meaning it may not serve as a sufficient precedent to prevent any new development in this area.

The majority of the land between Brent Knoll and Burnham-on-Sea lies within flood zone 3 on the Environment Agency's official flood maps - meaning it is more likely to be affected by flooding.

Entrance to Swallows Rest off Brent Road in Brent Knoll (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Planning inspector Paul Dignan, who visited Ms Turner's property Swallows Rest on August 26, said: "Development proposals should not be located in areas at risk of flooding where alternative sites, appropriate for the development, are reasonably available in areas with a lower risk of flooding.

"That the site is already occupied by the appellant without authorisation is not a factor that should be considered.

"I consider that there is a real risk of occupants of the development being put at risk by flooding.

"The appellant’s personal circumstances, even taken at face value, do not justify continued occupation of a site that has not been shown to be safe and which is contrary to the development plan for the area."

While no masterplan for the Barratt land has been made public, the original proposals stated that the site would include 2,000 homes, a primary school, "extensive and accessible green space" and community facilities - which may include shops or a health centre.

The development could also include a relief road, which will serve the new homes and allow holidaymakers to travel more directly to the M5 from the various holiday parks in Berrow and Brean, reducing congestion through Burnham-on-Sea town centre and complementing the council's impending upgrade of the Edithmead roundabout in Highbridge.

A spokesperson for Barratt Redrow said: “As part of the local planning authority’s formal Call for Sites consultation, we submitted details of the land at Burnham-on-Sea under our control.

"We were not involved in, and are not familiar with, the recent enforcement case, so we are unable to comment on its implications for future development in the area.

"We have no current plans to submit a masterplan or planning application for the land under our control."

View of planned site of 2,000 Burnham-on-Sea homes from Brent Knoll (Image: Daniel Mumby)

A spokesperson for Somerset Council added: "This site was submitted to the 2025 call for sites by Lichfields on behalf of Barratt Homes, and is included in the initial housing and economic land availability assessment (HELAA) report.

"We have not consulted on the HELAA report, and the recent Local Plan scoping consultation was not about individual sites. We are currently reviewing the responses received and will publish a summary in early-November.

"National and local planning policy seeks to direct new housing development to areas at the lowest risk of flooding, but it does not automatically preclude development in flood zone 3.

"Residential development in flood zone 3a, which is classed as having a high probability of flooding, would be expected to pass both the sequential test and the exception test to be considered acceptable. Housing in flood zone 3b, the functional floodplain, would be resisted.

"We do not currently know whether Barratt Homes intends to submit an outline planning application for the site before the Local Plan is approved."