Nearly 50 new homes are set to be built in the expanding Somerset town of Castle Cary following a successful appeal. In October 2023, Castle Cary LVA LLP applied for outline permission to develop 46 homes on the B3152 South Street, just north of the town cemetery.
Initially, Somerset Council’s south planning committee, responsible for major projects in the former South Somerset area, rejected the plans in January 2025 after extensive debate. However, the Planning Inspectorate has overturned this decision, highlighting the urgent need for additional housing in the area as outweighing concerns about extending beyond the town’s existing boundaries.
The proposed development will be located between the cemetery and homes on Cockhill Elm Lane, with pedestrian access provided via the cemetery to connect to the Macmillan Way long-distance footpath. While pavements link the area to the town centre, they are narrow at some points and offer limited accommodation for cyclists and mobility scooters.
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A noteworthy feature of the development is the inclusion of 16 affordable homes, fulfilling the South Somerset Local Plan’s 35% target for affordable housing.
Planning inspector C. Butcher conducted a site visit on October 6 and 8, and published his decision on November 17. Although he acknowledged that the site lies outside Castle Cary’s designated development area, he found no strong evidence that the new homes would strain local services such as schools and healthcare. He noted the safe and convenient pedestrian route from the site to the town centre, despite some historic steps that could challenge disabled residents or parents with pushchairs.
Concerns about harm to the town’s conservation area were dismissed by Mr. Butcher, who emphasized that mature trees and vegetation screen much of the site. He also pointed out that the grade two star listed Lower Cockhill Farmhouse is well separated from the development by fields and natural buffers, with plans to include additional landscape screening along the site’s western edge.
Due to its location within the River Brue catchment, the development must mitigate phosphate pollution impacting the Somerset Levels and Moors. To address this, the developer plans to install a package treatment plant managed by Albion Water to filter household wastewater.
While the development will lead to the loss of valuable grade one agricultural land, the inspector described the impact as limited because the affected area is relatively small.
The government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for 2024 introduced a new standard methodology that increased Somerset’s annual housing target from 2,669 to 3,769 homes, a 41% rise. Since Somerset Council currently lacks a five-year housing land supply, refusals of housing schemes require strong justification.
Mr. Butcher concluded that the shortage of available land lessens the weight that can be given to the council’s spatial strategy and deemed the overall harm caused by the development as moderate.
A reserved matters application, covering detailed design and layout specifics, is expected to be submitted early next year, moving the project closer to commencement.