Wansborough Paper Mill Site Sold to Stratton Land Ltd

“The scheme, if approved, will require the importation of material such as topsoil to create landscaping areas and rear gardens.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The redevelopment of a former Somerset paper mill has moved one step closer after the land was sold to a local housing developer.

The Wansborough paper mill site, which lies on the B3191 Brendon Road in Watchet, has lain vacant since December 2015 when the business closed down at a loss of 176 jobs.

Stratton Land Ltd. recently secured planning permission from Somerset Council to temporarily use the site to store soil from a housing development it is currently constructing on the A39 Hopcott Road in Minehead.

It has now been confirmed that the same developer has purchased the paper mill site from the Watchet Paper Mill Development Company (WMDC) – with amended plans for the site expected to come forward within the next few months.

Stratton Land Ltd. is currently constructing 69 homes on the A39 Hopcott Road in Minehead, which is being partially funded through a £5.7m loan from investment firm CrowdProperty.

Under the approved plans, topsoil from the Minehead site will be stored in four parts of the paper mill site, allowing the area to be levelled out ahead of any future redevelopment.

A spokesman for the developer said in August said: “The site will be developed by Stratton Land Ltd to construct at least 280 residential dwellings with private gardens, associated roads, foot-ways, parking, drainage, landscaping, public open space, and associated infrastructure

“However, parts of the site fall under flood zones 1 and 2, and consequently ground levels require raising. The scope of works for this application is to stockpile sub-soil in readiness to raise the levels as necessary.

The paper mill site is deemed to be vulnerable from two watercourses – the Mill Race, which runs to the south, and the Washford River, which runs to the north near the West Somerset Railway and the Mineral Line active travel route, which connects the town to the neighbouring village of Washford.

 new letter from WMDC has now been published on the council’s planning portal, confirming the sale of the site to the developer.

WMDC director Mohammad M. Uddin said: “We have entered into a contractual agreement to sell the site of the former Wansbrough Paper Mill to Stratton Land Ltd.

“This agreement includes the handover of the  existing planning application, and we  hereby give their full consent for Stratton Land Ltd. to take over the
planning application from hereon.”

Plans to redevelop the site, creating up to 350 new homes, a hotel, leisure facilities and a “visitor information centre”, were put forward in mid-2020 by Tameer Homes – but no decision on this application has yet been taken.

Since Stratton Land Ltd. previously indicated that it would deliver up to 280 homes on the site, rather than 350, it is likely that revised proposals for the site will be published in the coming months.

Simon Fox, the council’s major projects officer, said: “Stratton Land Ltd. has recently assumed responsibility for this application, seeking residential and commercial development.

“The scheme, if approved, will require the importation of material such as topsoil to create landscaping areas and rear gardens.

“This is because most of the flat area of the site which is developable is currently largely laid to hard-standing with the quality of ground underneath unknown, but likely to need supplementing with new material.

Courtesy: www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk

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