Revised plans for a major housing development in a small Somerset village have been submitted for public consultation. Hallam Land Management secured permission on appeal in February 2023 to build 80 new homes and a takeaway on Dene Road in Cotford St. Luke, around 15 minutes’ drive from the centre of Somerset’s county town.
Lovell Homes – which has recently delivered 36 new homes at the Cherry Pie Grove site in Sparkford, near the A303 – acquired the site in February 2024 for £25m, stating its intention to begin construction by the summer of 2025. The London-based developer has now submitted revised proposals for the same number of homes, with Somerset Council expected to make a decision on the plans by the spring.
The development will be built on the northern side of Dene Road, with the takeaway outlet being located close to the main road – though this will be delivered by a separate application. The new homes will range from two to four bedrooms in size, with 20 being offered at affordable rates, in line with the council’s policy for any new development of ten homes or more within the former Taunton Deane area.
Each of the homes will be fitted with air source heat pumps, with the entire development being gas-free. In line with new Defra legislation, the site will have to deliver a ten per cent biodiversity net gain (BNG) compared to leaving the site in its current state, with improvements being made within the location to encourage plants and wildlife.
There is scope for further homes to be delivered to the north in the near-future, with Hallam Land Management submitting plans in December 2024 for an additional 80 homes and new allotments near Tithill Lane. If approved, these homes would be delivered by extending the spine road from the Lovell Homes site through orchards which were planned along its northern edge.
The revised plans
(Image: Quattro Design Architects)
A spokesman for Lighthouse Development Consulting (representing Lovell Homes) said: “This is a development of high quality that will make an important and valued contribution to Cotford St. Luke as a sustainable settlement. The development will provide effective links to the existing settlement and delivers on the place-making objectives of the Taunton Deane Core Strategy.
“This is a development that is sensitive to its surroundings It provides much-needed housing, including affordable housing, in a thoughtfully considered design.” Numerous local residents have already objected to the revised proposals, arguing the village’s narrow roads would be quickly overwhelmed by the additional traffic.
Terry Iddenden, who lives on Nightingales near the village’s primary school, said: “The building of these homes will have a huge impact on the current access road in and out of Cotford St. Luke, with the existing bridge over the railway line being a one-way pinch point. At busy times, the queue for the lights to change is already backing up and this will only become more congested, which will mean fewer cars getting through the phased traffic lights.
Plans for 80 homes on Dene Road in Cotford St. Luke
(Image: PAD Design)
“Cotford St Luke is already overcrowded, with cars parked on either side of the main arterial road and with most households having more than one car. This development will have a massive impact on the overall environment, and will add extra traffic that already passes through from the Milverton end of Cotford St Luke, which motorists use as a rat run to gain access to the Minehead road.”
Paul Fleet, who lives on Graham Way, said: “Supermarket deliveries have increased, and there has been a large increase in on-line shopping, resulting in a noticeable increase in ‘white van’ deliveries. While cycling or walking around Cotford is reasonably safe, none of the roads out of the village to either the A358 or B3227 have any special provisions for cyclists or walkers, nor do either of the main roads into Taunton or Bishop’s Lydeard.
“Increasing traffic numbers increases the risk of injury or more for cyclists of any age. There are no proposals for properly managed social activities for the younger people of the village.
“No facilities can lead to more crime and generally unsociable acts – not because of the younger people, but because they have nothing to do and nowhere to go.” Somerset County Council commissioned a £50,000 study in March 2023 into new “sustainable transport options” (such as walking and cycling routes) which would link Taunton to the nearby villages of Bishop’s Lydeard and Cotford St. Luke.
Following consultation with local stakeholders in December 2023, Somerset Council (which replaced the county council in April 2023) revealed in March 2024 that it could cost up to £15m to deliver these new cycle routes in full – with no funding being immediately available. The council is expected to make a ruling on both of the Dene Road housing plans by the spring.
A decision is also expected in the coming months on plans for 47 homes on North Villas in the same village, near to Dene Barton Community Hospital.