Holiday cabins approved - next to the M5 motorway

The Rookery Manor complex lies just north of the Sedgemoor services between junctions 22 (Highbridge) and 21 (Weston-super-Mare).

While the wedding venue ceased trading in August 2020, owner Ian Clapp continues to operate a number of holiday cabins at the site’s southern edge, with permission for a total of 29 such units being in place.

Sedgemoor District Council has now ruled that a further ten cabins can be constructed on the site – but has warned that its enforcement officers will be keeping a close eye on how the site is being used.

A total of 15 log cabins were constructed on site before the council’s development committee voted to grant permission for a further 14 cabins in October 2020.

The existing Rookery Manor cabins seen from Strowlands in Edingworth (Image: Google Street View)

Under the latest proposals, six existing cabins will be relocated to allow a further 10 units to be constructed at the south-eastern corner of the site, nor far from the northbound carriageway of the motorway.

The site will also be raised significantly to mitigate the existing flood risk.

Councillor Alex Glassford raised concerns about noise levels on the site when the committee met in Bridgwater on Tuesday morning (January 11).

He said: “We had a site visit there a couple of years ago, and the thing that really hit me was the noise of the motorway.

“It was horrendous – if you were sat outside your cabin, you couldn’t hear someone next to you.

“This sounds like it could end up another Diamond caravan site.”

The Diamond Farm Holiday Park lies on the River Axe near Brean at the north-western tip of the Sedgemoor district.

Cllr Bob Filmer – whose Knoll ward includes Rookery Manor – said the council’s enforcement officers would be keeping a close eye on the proposals to “ensure that doesn’t happen”.

After less than half an hour’s debate, the committee voted to approve the plans by a margin of 11 votes to one.