Plans to build an additional 80 homes in Cotford St. Luke, a small village in Somerset, have been approved by local councillors. The development, spearheaded by Hallam Land Management, follows earlier permissions granted for 80 homes and a takeaway on Dene Road in the village, located about 15 minutes from Taunton town centre.
The original site was sold to London-based Lovell Homes in February 2024, who received revised approval for what is now called The Oaks estate in April 2025. Hallam Land Management subsequently applied for permission in December 2024 to develop a further 80 homes just north of the Lovell Homes site. This next phase will also feature new allotments for the village community.
Somerset Council has given broad support to the new plans with a condition that solar panels and other renewable energy solutions be incorporated into the final designs. The new development stretches to the northern edge of Cotford St. Luke, bordered by Tithill Lane and Burge Farm Lane.
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Access to the homes will extend from the existing spine road through The Oaks estate, passing through a proposed orchard where tree removal will be balanced by additional planting elsewhere. To encourage car-free movement, Burge Farm Lane will be enhanced to improve connections to local footpaths. The new allotments will be positioned just west of this road.
Of the 80 homes planned, 20 will be designated affordable housing, meeting the council’s 25% target for developments with ten or more homes in the former Taunton Deane area. Flood mitigation will be addressed by creating attenuation ponds at both the northern and southern parts of the estate.
Hal Parsons, senior land and planning manager at Hallam Land Management, praised the development during the planning committee meeting in Taunton on August 26. He highlighted the sustainability of the location and noted the increasing local need for housing, with households on the Somerset housing register rising from 11,387 to 12,773 since the neighbouring development was first approved.
Although the sites were not originally allocated in the Taunton Deane Core Strategy, they were identified as potential residential areas during the 2020 review of housing prospects within the Somerset West and Taunton district.
The developer will contribute over £1.48 million towards local infrastructure through the community infrastructure levy (CIL), including approximately £223,000 earmarked specifically for projects led by Cotford St. Luke Parish Council. Additional funding includes around £244,000 for local school expansion and more than £38,000 to improve services at Quantock Vale Surgery in Bishop’s Lydeard.
Some councillors raised points during the meeting regarding the location of the allotments and the specific plans for on-site renewable energy integration. To comply with environmental regulations for the River Tone catchment area, the project will implement measures to prevent increased phosphate levels in the Somerset Levels and Moors by temporarily resting over nine hectares of nearby agricultural land, some of which will be converted to woodland. Most of this land will return to farming after upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant are completed in 2030.
After thorough discussion, the committee approved the plans with a 7 to 1 vote. A reserved matters application, detailing final designs including renewable energy features, is expected to be submitted for review in spring 2026.