Plans to build 40 homes close to a working pig farm in the Somerset village of Evercreech have been rejected by Somerset Council for the second time in just three months.
Rubix Strategic Ltd. submitted the proposal in April 2024, aiming to develop housing on the B3081 Prestleigh Road. The location is adjacent to a pig farm housing 600 pigs. In August 2025, the council’s planning committee voted against the scheme, citing concerns that the development would harm the village’s character and increase localised flooding risks.
The applicant resubmitted the plans in November with additional information intended to address odour concerns from the nearby pig farm. However, committee members reaffirmed their refusal, describing the proposal as “awful” and “unacceptable.” No housing estate in the UK is known to have been approved within 50 metres of such a large pig farm.
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The site is near the former Greencore factory, where permission for 118 homes and commercial space was refused on appeal earlier in 2024. Previous proposals for 56 homes and a convenience store were withdrawn in 2023.
Of the 40 homes planned, 12 would have been affordable to meet local housing targets. The developer also proposed environmental mitigation by planting new woodland and removing local farmland from active agricultural use to prevent an increase in phosphates affecting the Somerset Levels.
The site is not earmarked for development in either Mendip Local Plan part I or part II. Local residents and councillors voiced strong opposition. Fletcher Robinson of CPRE Somerset warned the impact of odour from the pig farm would affect all new homes, especially if wind directions change.
Former district councillor Barry O’Leary decried a lack of local consultation and criticized the developer’s persistence. Paul Davies, a neighbour, stressed the longstanding presence and operational impact of the pig farm, countering the applicant’s odour assessments conducted when pigs were absent.
Councillors expressed frustration that the development persisted despite clear issues. Liberal Democrat Councillor Rob Reed called the odour report “flawed” and predicted the new housing would be uninhabitable. Councillor Claire Sully highlighted the need to protect the agricultural industry, emphasizing the farm’s priority as an established business.
Conservative Councillor Barry Clarke stated that no reasonable person would want to live so close to a pig farm, noting a minimum buffer of 200 metres as appropriate.
After extensive debate, the committee voted 11 to 1 with two abstentions to refuse planning permission. Rubix Strategic Ltd. has not yet confirmed if they will appeal the decision.