A new housing development planned between Yeovil and the A303 will not include any affordable homes following a decision by Somerset Council.

Abbey Manor Homes Ltd. secured outline planning permission back in October 2017 (following a successful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate) to build up to 28 new homes on Head Street in the village of Tintinhill, which lies to the north-west of Yeovil.

The site was subsequently sold to Orwell Ltd., which put forward detailed plans for the same number of homes in July 2020.

After more than three years in limbo, these plans were given the green light by Somerset Council’s planning committee south in October 2023.

Following this decision, the developer claimed that this site would not be financially viable unless the ten affordable homes planned within the site were removed.

The same committee which approved the original plans has now allowed this change following a meeting on Tuesday afternoon (October 22).

The site lies at the western edge of the village, near the junction with Montacute Road and a short drive from a new special needs school on the other side of the A303.

Head Street is regularly used as a rat run for commuters seeking to reach the northern edge of Yeovil without using the busy Cartgate roundabout and the western corridor roads.

A viability assessment of the site was carried out by Grimshaw Consulting Ltd. in March and was reviewed by the council’s chosen consultants, the Dixon Searle Partnership, following its publication.

The assessment concluded that the proposed development “cannot support on-site affordable housing or a payment in lieu” to the council, citing the cost of phosphate mitigation which needs to be paid up front.

To prevent the new homes from increasing phosphate levels within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, a package treatment plant will be installed within the site, which will remove phosphates from the new homes’ waste water before they enter local watercourses.

The developer argued that this would cost “in excess of £110,000” – which, together with around £78,000 of upfront payments under the community infrastructure levy (CIL) would mean they could not make a viable profit on the new homes.

Tintinhull Parish Council objected strongly to removing the affordable homes from this development, criticising an “astonishing” lack of consultation with local people.

Parish clerk Heather Bryant stated: “This is a high-density development for
this small village.

“The village primary school already operates at near full capacity, and therefore children may need to travel outside the village for school – presumably all starting and returning at similar times, causing multiple vehicle
movements to and from the site onto Head Street at its busiest times of the day.

“The local doctors’ surgeries cannot cope with the present population. There are surgeries in both Martock and South Petherton, but the effect especially on Martock could be severe with its own housing developments.

“This scheme provides ‘no clear benefit’ to the inhabitants or look of this village.”

Despite these concerns, the committee voted to approve the removal of affordable housing from the site by five votes to one, with one abstention.