Always on
This project successfully funded on 1st June 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Stop a major housing development on Wells hillside
Wells, Somerset, United Kingdom
Aim
Planning Objection Fundraiser campaign to fight against a major housing development being built on this hillside above Wells (shown in red)
Rubix Land have submitted their planning application to Somerset Council on 1st April. This is how you can help:
1) Please donate to our crowdfunding goal - below we explain what the money is for
2) Register your own objections to the planning application - click on our campaign website which explains how to do this.
You can view the planning application online using this link below:
Planning application for 73 houses on the hillside in Wells
We are a group of Wells residents who care deeply about preserving and enhancing our local countryside. We have launched this Planning Objection Fundraiser campaign to fight against a planning application for a major housing development to be built on this hillside above Wells a little to the North West of the Blue School, which is part of the Underwood "Special Landscape Feature" (SLF).
These beautiful slopes are a vital part of the setting of Wells, that give the city it’s special character and are home to many species of wildlife. This hillside is visible from miles around. But the land promoter, Rubix Land Ltd (OG Group) has submitted a planning application to build 73 houses on it. The hillside, bordered by ancient woodland, is the setting of the Mendip Hills National Landscape (formerly AONB) to the North of Wells and is right beside the Monarch’s Way/ West Mendip Way public footpaths .
We need to stop the proposed development from being granted planning permission. If building were to be allowed, it opens the floodgates for all of this northern hillside to be built on.
There is already a growing number of people who strongly object to this steep hillside being developed. Previous attempts at obtaining planning permission on this sensitive site have failed, but that does not mean this planning application will be turned down. As developers have said before, they only need to win once, but those who object have to win every time.
Rubix Land has submitted a forceful planning application, which both acknowledges and at the same time- dismisses and minimises the reasons why people might object to their application. This is why we need your help...
We do recognise the need for new housing, but only when it is in line with publicly approved local government plans and with well thought out design and planning principles. We regard this proposed development as opportunistic.
If this planning application was successful, this beloved landscape setting of the city of Wells, would be lost forever.
What’s the crowfunding money for?
We need to commission and pay for some planning law and landscape experts who will add weight and detail to our campaign for the planning application to be refused. The experts will navigate the complexities and nuances of the planning application for us, thoroughly and appropriately highlighting important points, misinformation and inaccuracies that are contrary to local and national planning policies. They will also craft reports to submit to Somerset Council alongside all our individual objections. We have engaged experts who are both appropriately qualified and who have been highly recommended to us.
Raising funds will allow us to spread wider awareness of the planning application with local residents and the many people who come to Wells or walk the footpaths around the site and appreciate the setting of the city and the beauty of these slopes.
A large number of people already strongly object to the development but we need to grow the community of objectors much further for our campaign to have real impact - the more objections (either online or in written form) Somerset Council receives, the better. We will provide updates here on how to do this later on in the coming days.
How much needs to be raised?
We need to raise £5500 to start with, towards the fees of our appointed experts, including their report writing, and we expect to stretch this further- plus we will need to cover the miscellaneous costs associated with spreading the word, such as printing flyers - as not everyone uses social media.
Timing
Please donate to our Crowdfunder now! The planning application has been registered on 1st April 2026 and there are only 21 days to submit any objections.
Any funds not used will be preserved to campaign to protect the SLF in Wells from any future attempts at development.
Updates and how to object to the planning application
The next update will include more about the planning application and how you can personally object. Unless you choose to opt out, you will automatically receive updates when we publish them.
We also have Facebook- click here to see more photos and the land promoter's proposed plan for the site, taken from their application form.
In the meantime, do you think you could forward a link to our campaign to any other people you know, who would be interested and could support us please? You can find the sharing links under the photo.
Thank you so much for supporting this campaign to protect this Special Landscape Feature for everyone who values and enjoys it.
Aerial photography with kind permission of @somersetskypirate
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made