NEARLY 150 new homes could soon be built in a Somerset coastal town if revised plans are given the go ahead.
Grass Roots Planning were granted permission by Somerset West and Taunton Council in October 2019 to build 139 new homes on land either side of Normandy Avenue, at the south-eastern corner of Watchet.
The site has now been sold to Newport-based developer Edenstone Homes, who have put forward amended proposals for the same number of properties.
A decision on the revised plans is expected to be taken by the new unitary Somerset Council after it assumes control on April 1.
The site straddles three agricultural fields either side of Normandy Avenue and Cherry Tree Way, a short distance from the Liddymore Park development of 250 homes currently being constructed by Summerfield Developments.
The main access will be from a new junction on Doniford Road at the site’s eastern edge, with Normandy Avenue being split via a staggered junction across the new spine road and emergency access onto Alamein Road being provided.
The existing farm track to Liddymore Farm will remain in place, allowing farm vehicles to pass through the development and maintaining the public right of way which provides access to Knights Templar Community Church School.
Of the 139 homes planned for the site, 39 will be affordable (the equivalent of 35 per cent of properties), with the homes ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses.
The homes will be concentrated at the southern end of the site, with the northern tip being allocated for a hilltop park, preserving the existing views of the Bristol Channel.
A spokesman for Grass Roots Planning (representing Edenstone Homes) said: “The proposed development offers a high-quality scheme that will play an important role in boosting the supply of housing in the area alongside wider benefits, including biodiversity gains and the provision of a large public park that is likely to be a destination for residents of the wider Watchet area, given the views and quality of walking routes it will deliver.”
“We commend the application to the council for approval to allow the delivery of much needed housing to commence on this site as soon as possible.”
Watchet is set to grow significantly in the coming years, with the council admitting in early-January that Minehead and other major settlements in the former West Somerset area may see a short-term rising in houses being delivered until a permanent solution to the phosphates crisis is found.
Because most of the district does not lie within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, developers are not required by law to provide additional mitigation against any net rise in phosphates – making it easier for homes to be approved and constructed.
In addition to the Liddymore Park development, a decision is still pending on Tameer Homes’ proposals to redevelop the former paper mill site on the B3191 Brendon Road, delivering 350 homes, a hotel and leisure facilities.
Plans for a further 136 homes on the B3191 Cleeve Hill were refused by the council’s planning committee on January 5 – but it is not yet clear whether the developer will appeal the decision.
A decision on the Normandy Avenue proposals is expected to be taken by the new Somerset Council in the late-spring or early-summer.
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