BEAMINSTER residents and councillors are still opposing 23 homes in Hollymoor Lane despite amendments to the plan.

Objectors say those amendments don’t change the basic problems – housing in a area with unsuitable and dangerous access.

There are more than 150 letters on West Dorset District Council’s planning website about the development.

Resident Christine Broad from Woodwater Lane came to Monday’s town council meeting to ask just how much more objectors had to do the make views heard about the Summerfield Development scheme.

She said: “They have still got 23 houses, which was the same as last time..

“The only difference is that they have increased the parking from 62 to 67 garages, which will also create more traffic through East Street.

“There is no mention of any of the problems which already exist in East Street: they don't seem to be addressing those issues at all.”

She added: “I attended the Local Plan enquiry back in December and I have also written several separate letters.

“I just wonder how many times we have to write letters objecting to this particular application.

“How many more times do we have to put our objections across?”

The planning application comes as modifications to the emerging local plan, after a lengthy enquiry, have suggested the area north of Hollymoor Lane be removed from the development boundary.

There is now an eight-week consultation on those modifications.

Summerfield Developments director Richard Mead said: “The application is in and running. It is up to the local authority how they determine it in light of their emerging planning policy.

“Obviously it [the land] is something the local authority deem in or out and it does go to arbitration through the examination process.”

Cllr Janet Page said the new plan was not approved yet and was not likely to be until September.

Cllr Christopher Turner said: “One would have thought since it is intended to be the plan that it should carry some weight, fingers crossed.

Speaking after meeting Cllr Christopher Turner said: “If the site has now been removed from the local plan it gives the town council as a consultee a greater chance of having the plan refused.

“The problem is the new plan has not been adopted yet. Since the old plan is out of date and can’t be relied upon, except in very general terms, one has to rely on the emerging plan and since that is the intent then hopefully not going to contradict the intent of that plan in any applications that come in the meantime.”