A proposed community hall at a major new housing development in Highbridge looks set to be dropped after the developer said no organisation is willing to take it on once built.
Countryside Partnerships is currently delivering the Isleport Grove development on the eastern edge of the town, where 248 homes are being built between Isleport Lane and the M5.
The firm secured permission in November 2023 for a community hub at the centre of the site, including a retail unit and several rooms for hire by local groups.
But parent company Vistry Devon South West has now submitted plans to remove the hub entirely and replace it with public open space, stating that “no end user can be secured”.
Under the original legal agreement, the hub would have been built by Countryside Partnerships and then transferred at no cost to either Burnham and Highbridge Town Council or Somerset Council.
As Burnham-On-Sea.com reported here, town councillors discussed the proposal in January 2024 and concluded that the two towns already have sufficient community facilities, adding that taking on a new building would be “an extra burden on the council”.
A number of venues are already available for hire in and around Highbridge. These include Highbridge Community Hall in Market Street, the Morland Hub, the Southwell Gardens Community Hall, the Trowbridge Close Community Hub, the YMCA, and church halls.
Countryside Partnerships said at the time that Somerset Council had also been approached but was “not able to take it on at this time”.
Instead of the hub, Vistry is proposing a new public open space featuring children’s play equipment, tree planting and new hedgerows. Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the revised plans by late spring.
Some local residents are unhappy at the plans to remove the hall from the site, with a group of more than a dozen attending a recent Town Council meeting to air their concerns.
Several Highbridge town councillors at the meeting said they would meet with residents to discuss options for the site.
