Proposals which could see nearly 750 new homes delivered across east Somerset have been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for final approval.

Mendip District Council identified a total of 37 sites which could deliver additional housing in the district in its Local Plan Part II, which was ratified by councillors in December 2021.

Following a successful judicial review by Norton St. Philip Parish Council in December 2022, five of these sites were scrapped – three on the edge of Midsomer Norton and two in the villages of Beckington and Norton St. Philip, near Frome.

Somerset Council published a list of sites which could replace these original housing allocations and deliver up to 777 new homes – a list which was subsequently revised down to 745 homes following an initial public consultation in March and April.

Following a second round of public consultation the council has submitted its final list to the Planning Inspectorate – with public hearings on the matter expected to take place early in the new year.

The High Court’s ruling saw five sites struck from the Local Plan Part II, with Somerset Council needing to allocate new sites to deliver a minimum of 505 new homes in the north-eastern part of the former Mendip district.

Following a ‘call for sites’ (which produced more than 50 possible development sites), planning officers whittled down the proposals to a short-list of 11 sites which between them could deliver 777 new houses.

After this initial consultation, two sites were withdrawn on the basis that they are “likely to have been completed” (or nearly completed) before the revised plan can be issued in early-2025.

The two sites in question are the Montgomery Place development on Adderwell Road in Frome (comprising 25 homes) and land on the B3139 Wells Road in Chilcompton (where seven new homes could be delivered).

With these sites being omitted, the council estimates that the remaining developments will deliver a total of 729 homes – of which 569 could reasonably by provided within the next five years.

The majority of the remaining sites already have outline or full planning permission in place – meaning they could come forward for delivery long before the new Somerset Local Plan comes into force for the whole county in early-2028.

The remaining sites within the revised Local Plan Part II are:

  • Somer Meadows, A367 Green Park Road, Midsomer Norton (270 homes): this site on the southern edge of Midsomer Norton is the only one of the five removed sites to be successfully reallocated within the Local Plan Part II. Outline permission for 270 homes on the site was originally secured by Waddeton Park Ltd. in July 2022 – a decision subsequently re-approved in March 2023 following the High Court’s decision. Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes were granted reserved matters approval for the site in January and construction is now under way
  • Land west of Brooks Road, Street (120 homes): this site lies within the Street ‘future growth area’, adjacent to a larger allocation south of the A39 Quarry Batch. An initial consultation has been launched over proposals for 160 homes on this site, though no formal planning application has yet been submitted
  • Lowerside Lane, Glastonbury (90 homes): Waddeton Park Ltd. secured outline planning permission for this site (also known as Common Moor Drove) in May 2023 following an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The site was subsequently put on the market and sold by Cooper and Tanner estate agents to an unnamed buyer – meaning it could be some time before work begins on the site. Even if plans do come forward rapidly, the legal agreement surrounding the site dictate that none of the new homes can be occupied until Wessex Water has upgraded the Glastonbury waste water treatment plans, which it is currently planning to undertake before the end of 2025
  • Cherry Blossom View, Beauchamps Drive, Midsomer Norton (75 homes): Gleeson Strategic Land Ltd. secured outline planning permission for this site, in the neighbouring parish of Stratton-on-the-Fosse, in February 2022 following a successful appeal. Wain Homes subsequently acquired the site and has begun construction on the new Cherry Blossom View development after its reserved matters application was approved in December 2023
  • Land east of Anchor Lane, Coleford (63 homes): Gladman Developments secured outline permission for this site at the northern edge of Coleford in October 2021, following a successful planning appeal. The site is currently being marketed to a potential new developer, meaning this site may come forward later in the Local Plan period depending on how soon a buyer can be found and more detailed proposals put forward
  • Former Wells police station, A39 Glastonbury Road, Wells (47 flats): Wells Police Station operated at 10-12 Glastonbury Road until late-2021, when the police moved to their new facility inside the fire station on Burcott Road. Churchill Retirement Ltd. put forward plans to convert the buildings into extra care apartments, with the council’s planning committee east voting to grant permission in early-April
  • Land south of the Crispin Centre, High Street, Street (40 homes): The Crispin Shopping Centre has been a feature of Street since 1979, but has experienced several years of decline since the closure of the village’s Tesco Metro store. Churchill Retirement Living put forward plans in January to demolish the shopping centre and build a retirement complex in its place, with 45 extra care apartments and 11 ‘retirement cottages’. But the council’s planning committee east voted against the proposals on July 11, citing a lack of parking, an unattractive design and possible damage to local heritage assets
  • North Parade car park, New Mews, Frome (18 homes): this car park was first identified for development by Mendip District Council back in 2020. Its successor has been working with the Stonewater housing association on proposals to build on the site, securing a land swap with the neighbouring Farleigh Further Education College in mid-2021. Formal proposals for 18 low-cost homes are currently being considered by planning officers
  • Norbins Road car park, Norbins Road, Glastonbury (6 homes): this site was one of four identified for development by Mendip District Council when it announced its partnership with Aster Housing back in 2020. The site has been held up by phosphate mitigation negotiations, but it is still expected to deliver all affordable housing before 2029

A council spokesman said: “This limited update to the Mendip Local Plan Part II is now subject to examination by an independent planning inspector, with public hearings likely to take place in early-2025.

“Representations to the finalised proposals which were published in July will be taken into account.

“The submitted housing sites do not make changes to the adopted Mendip Local Plan Part I or change other policies in the Mendip Local Plan Part II.”