Plans to build 50 homes in a Somerset town but send children to school 11 miles away have been turned down by Somerset Council.

Housing association Curo had hoped to get the green light to knock down two homes in Midsomer Norton in order to build 54 homes on the field behind. Although the town lies within the Bath and North East Somerset Council area, the field itself — which belongs to Underhill Farm — lies across the border in the Somerset Council area.

This meant that children living in the new development would not have been eligible for secondary schools in Midsomer Norton and would have had to travel to Wells — an 11 mile journey. People would also have faced a six-mile journey to the GP they would have been in the catchment area for in Oakhill.

The development would only have been accessible by going through Bath and North East Somerset Council. 26 and 28 Orchard Vale, two social homes belonging to Curo which lie on the Bath and North East Somerset Council side of the county border would have been demolished under the plans, in order for a road to access the field behind.

Bath and North East Somerset Council submitted an objection to the scheme but it was Somerset Council's planning committee for the east area of the county that was responsible for deciding the plans. Shaun Hughes, councillor Midsomer Norton North on Bath and North East Somerset Council, travelled to Shepton Mallet to address the committee as an objector to the plans. He told them: "We just don't have the capacity to support this development."

Eleanor Jackson, who represents neighbouring Westfield on Bath and North East Somerset Council, also addressed the committee and pointed out that people needing housing in the town would not benefit from the social housing because it would go to people on Somerset's waiting list. 

She added: "There's little to gain from the proposed development because the new residents will pay their council tax to Somerset while using the facilities in Midsomer Norton."

Midsomer Norton local Debbie Plumber said the town was "fed up" with the neighbouring council building on the border. She told the committee: "Midsomer Norton is a lovely town but its slowly being ruined by overdevelopment."

Despite repeated warnings from Somerset Council's planning officers that they could face an appeal from Curo, councillors on the committee agreed with the town and voted to refuse planning permission for the "unsustainable" development.

Edric Hobbs, who represents the Mendip Hills on Somerset Council, said: "Because we are on a boundary, we are expecting people to go miles and miles away to go to a doctors and to school."

When Curo initially submitted their application to develop the site, the land had been allocated by the former Mendip Council as housing, but this was later scrapped by a judicial review, meaning that it should be considered "open countryside." However, due to Somerset Council's lack of a five-year housing supply, councillors were asked to consider it with a "tilted balance" in favour of development. But councillors argued that it still went against the council's policies and should be refused.

Frome North councillor Adam Boyden, argued that the council should also refuse it on the basis that it went against Bath and North East Somerset Council's planning policies, but council officers warned that this could not be included as an official reason for refusal.

A separate planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council for the demolition of the two homes and building of the access road would have had to be approved for the development to go ahead.