Plans to build approximately 150 homes near the A303 in Somerset have been definitively rejected following the government’s decision not to intervene. In late June 2025, land promoter Gleeson Land announced intentions to seek planning permission for the housing development on Broadway Hill in Horton, situated just north of the dual carriageway between Ilminster and the Blackdown Hills.
However, in July 2026, Somerset Council’s planning committee south, responsible for major applications in the former South Somerset area, refused the proposal. During the committee meeting on 29 July in Yeovil, Councillor Sue Osborne, representing Ilminster division which includes Horton, expressed her strong opposition, threatening to resign if the plans were approved. She stated, “I cannot and I will not vote for this. If I am forced to vote for this, I will resign from this committee, because we no longer stand up for our residents and make our points. We are being brow-beaten by our officers. This committee is no longer serving the needs of its community or its people.”
Subsequently, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed that the decision would not be called in by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, effectively upholding the council’s refusal and preventing Gleeson Land from appealing. Emma Hopkins, the MHCLG decision officer, conveyed this in a letter dated 18 August to Tim Marsh, the council’s principal planning officer, indicating that the application should be determined locally.
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The proposed site lies to the south of Broadway Hill, opposite the existing village hall and near another development of 49 homes approved on appeal in October 2024 by Glastonbury-based Galion Homes. Access to the new development would have been solely from Broadway Hill, with a pedestrian link connecting to Horton Playing Field.
According to current planning policy, 35 per cent of the homes - approximately 52 properties - would have been required to be affordable unless the developer could prove financial unviability.
Under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, developments of 150 homes or more that are recommended for refusal by councillors or officers must be referred to the housing secretary for a potential call-in. Such calls can lead to costly public inquiries, like the Selwood Garden Community case involving 1,700 homes near Frome.
Since the application was not called in, Gleeson Land’s only remaining option to challenge the refusal would be through a judicial review, which requires substantial evidence of procedural errors or misinterpretation of planning policies. As it stands, the refusal officially stands, marking a significant decision in the local housing development discourse.