Plans to build 95 new affordable homes near Chard could soon move forward if revised proposals receive approval in the coming months. The Crossman Group initially won outline planning permission on appeal in March 2024 to develop 95 houses along the B3167 Perry Street, located at the southern edge of South Chard near the Devon-Somerset border.
Following this, the site was put on the market by estate agents Greenslade Taylor Hunt, with the sale price undisclosed. Somerset Council has now given the green light to proposed amendments that pave the way for affordable housing association LiveWest to submit a renewed planning application later this year.
Originally, the outline permission included conditions such as time limits for submitting more detailed plans – known as reserved matters applications – as well as a requirement for five plots to be designated for self-build projects.
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However, removing the self-build clause will allow LiveWest to expedite development. Matt Frost, director at LRM Planning, explained: “LiveWest, as a registered provider of affordable housing, cannot deliver open market self-build homes. Instead, the former self-build plots will now be incorporated as affordable housing units, increasing the supply of homes to meet local needs.”
The original outline mandated that 35% of the new homes – around 33 units – would be affordable, a provision LiveWest intends to maintain. Additionally, the development will contribute more than £894,000 towards local education, including nearly £334,000 to expand capacity at Holyrood Academy and over £502,000 for a new primary school set within the secondary school grounds.
Tim Marsh, Somerset Council’s principal planning officer, confirmed the amendments are acceptable under current planning policies. He stated: “Removing references to self-build plots is considered non-material, as the South Somerset Local Plan does not require self-build housing and it did not influence the planning decision.”
While LiveWest has not specified a timeline for submitting the detailed reserved matters application, the significant scale of the project means any final decision will be made publicly by the council’s south planning committee.