Policy Eight: Reasoned Justification

99 Shepton Mallet has been allocated substantial development during the Plan period which will have a significant impact on the infrastructure needs of the community, in particular the traffic infrastructure. 

99 Cannards Grave development to the south of the town is a major urban extension and high volumes of traffic are expected as a result 

100 In addition, Policy Two of this Plan identifies land to the west of Cannards Grave for development which will add to this traffic. 

101 Therefore, it is crucial that any applications coming forward contain a statement identifying the traffic impact on the wider community e.g. congestion and parking and it is reasonable to expect that proposals for mitigating the impact are put forward. 

102 Proposals must also explain how there is safe access for vehicles and pedestrians which does not adversely affect the free movement of traffic in the vicinity. 

103 A new estate road serving a new development can either be adopted by the highway authority, Somerset Council, or remain un-adopted, with its upkeep ultimately the responsibility lying with the property owners. For a road to be adopted, it must meet certain Somerset Council standards, as provided in the Somerset Highways information. 

104 There has been growing concern about the number of un-adopted roads which require homeowners to pay an additional service charge for their upkeep and maintenance. This is not only for the road itself: the drainage systems that often run underneath the road also have to be similarly un-adopted. In an area of Somerset such as Shepton Mallet, where the risk of surface water flooding has been proven to be significant, it is particularly important that drainage solutions can be adopted by the drainage authority.