A major boost for housing in the Somerset village of Martock has come after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of proceeding with new developments without additional environmental mitigation. This ruling clears the way for 35 new homes to be built north of Lyndhurst Grove, accelerating a project that has been stalled for years.
Richard Frankpitt initially secured outline planning permission for the development in February 2018 after a successful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Since then, Larkfleet Homes SW Ltd. submitted a reserved matters application in June 2020, detailing plans to build the homes between Lyndhurst Grove and the disused railway line.
The project was among over 50 developments in the former South Somerset area delayed by the phosphates crisis, which required developers to provide mitigation measures to protect the Somerset Levels and Moors from environmental damage. However, the October Supreme Court ruling clarified that sites with pre-existing outline consent before August 2020 are exempt from these additional phosphate mitigation requirements at the reserved matters stage.
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The new homes will be accessed by extending Lyndhurst Grove northwards, with thoughtfully designed landscaping along the former railway trackbed to shield the new estate from the nearby Martock Business Park. Notably, only four of the houses will be affordable, falling short of the council’s 35% affordable housing policy for developments of this size in the area—a concession aligning with the original appeal.
The council’s planning officers approved the application under delegated powers, citing that phosphate concerns no longer apply due to the Supreme Court’s guidance. Planning officer Anna Jotcham highlighted that the layout, scale, and landscaping meet the approved development standards.
Martock is experiencing rapid residential growth, with recent projects including 120 homes by Barratt Homes on Coat Grove, 100 homes on Coat Road granted outline permission earlier this year, and 24 homes approved on Foldhill Lane. Construction on the Lyndhurst Grove site is slated to start by mid-2026, with the first residents expected to move in by Christmas that year.