‘LAND ownership issues’ mean an approved access route from the A39 to a new services area near Bridgwater may not go ahead.

Monte Blackburn Ltd, the developer behind Dunball Services, has applied for permission to revise the approved site access proposals because of the problem. 

The development, which includes Subway, Greggs, KFC and Starbucks stores, opened in February after it was given the green light by Sedgemoor District Council in 2019. 

The approved plans said the development would be served by two new access routes: a one-way lane from the eastbound side of the A39, and a new road that would create a T-junction with the A38, located to the north of the site. 

The services were allowed to open on time without the A39 access route because of the legal issues, which date back to the construction of the nearby M5.

Now, the developer is seeking permission to keep operating the services with only one access route for vehicles. 

Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News: Planning documents from 2018 show the proposed junction with the A38 and the access route from the A39.Planning documents from 2018 show the proposed junction with the A38 and the access route from the A39.

Revised site access documents say: “To enable the new roadside services development to open, it was approved that on a temporary basis all vehicles accessing the site would make use of the northern access with the southern access remaining closed, until such time as the outstanding issues are resolved.

“However, whilst the applicant continues to endeavour to be able to open the southern access point, due to legal/land ownership issues it is currently not possible to do so at this time.

“On this basis, it is now proposed that the site would continue to operate indefinitely with the northern access providing the single point of access to/from the site.”

It adds: “In order to consider any potential impacts arising from the sole use of the northern access the traffic modelling has been updated and traffic re-distributed.

“The updated modelling results show that the northern access junction comfortably accommodates all of the development traffic associated with all the uses on site, with minimal queuing or delay.”

If permission is granted, several conditions imposed on the development when it was approved that reference the A39 route would be revised or removed. 

You can view the revised plans in full on the Somerset Council planning portal (application number 42/23/00011). 

The local authority is welcoming comments until Friday, October 20.