Public consultation begins on J25 business development

Public consultation begins on J25 business development

People are being asked to give their views on a new business development at Junction 25 of the M5, supported by Taunton Deane Borough Council.

The public consultation started on Wednesday 1 March and will be open for four weeks.

The new strategic employment site, called Nexus 25, was introduced at a business launch and public exhibition at the Holiday Inn at Junction 25.

Nexus 25 could create thousands of new and skilled jobs. The ‘green campus’ will have space for research and development and high quality offices, alongside light industrial units and warehouses to provide a range of flexible premises suitable for many types of business.

The name was chosen because of its meaning, which reflects both the location and the connectivity that the development will provide.

Councillor Mark Edwards, Deputy Leader of Taunton Deane Borough Council and Executive member for Business Development said: “We want to thank all the businesses and residents who took the time to come and see the public exhibition.

The project team are in the early stages of development so we want to hear people’s views to shape the proposals going forward to the next full consultation in May.

“Nexus 25 is an essential part of our plans for Taunton’s future growth, enabling us to attract new business and new investment.”

Businesses who attended the launch were supportive of the development. Somerset County Council has brought forward plans to improve Junction 25. The work to improve Junction 25 and the A358 is being undertaken by Somerset County Council and Highways England and will include access to the site.

Taunton Deane has commissioned Peter Brett Associates to prepare a Local Development Order (LDO) to set out the planning and design principles and other site-specific requirements to guide development of the site.

LDOs were introduced by the Government to enable Local Authorities to speed up the planning process, while ensuring that the usual environmental safeguards are properly applied. Once approved by the Council, the LDO will set out the extent and nature of the proposed development together with all the criteria and requirements that proposals must meet to satisfy the terms of the Order. Developers must demonstrate to the Council that their proposals satisfy the requirements of the LDO in order for them to proceed.

The public consultation began on 1 March, running for four weeks. A full consultation on the Local Development Order is planned for May 2017, ahead of submission to the Council in June 2017. The LDO could be adopted in August 2017.

Information and feedback forms are available  HERE.

Comments can also be sent to project team at talkingtomorrows@tauntondeane.gov.uk or by post to: The Planning Policy Team, The Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton TA1 1HE.

The proposals are being developed by a team drawn from the public and private sectors.

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