Land crucial for completing the eastern relief road (ERR) in Chard will be preserved under revised plans for a new housing development. The ERR, a long-standing priority for Somerset planners, aims to ease congestion at the convent link junction—where the A30 meets the A358—and support new housing growth in the Chard Eastern Development Area (CEDA).
So far, only a short stretch of the ERR between the A30 and Chard Reservoir has been completed, integrated within the Oaklands development of 78 homes finished in 2022. The latest plans outline 67 new homes, with a designated strip of land set aside for the northernmost section of the ERR, which will link the A358 Furnham Road to Chaffcombe Road. This section will then connect southwards near Touches Lane, close to the reservoir.
Construction of part of the northern ERR route will occur on land adjacent to two developments. The Gillingham Grange care home by LNT Care Developments is nearing completion, with a reserved stretch of land to the east earmarked for the road. Additionally, Mr. R. & Mrs. C. Blackburn have submitted outline plans to build 67 homes east of the care home. Their proposal includes an access road onto Furnham Road and a cycle link connecting to Chaffcombe Lane and the Stop Line Way route into the town centre. A segment of the ERR will run through this development.
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Within this plan, 23 of the 67 homes will be affordable housing, slightly below the council’s 35% target for developments over ten homes in the former South Somerset area. A spokesperson for Greenslade Taylor Hunt, representing the couple, emphasized the careful design ensuring privacy for residents and safety for users of the public play space, which will be overlooked by nearby homes to reduce anti-social behaviour.
Somerset Council is anticipated to decide on these revised proposals before year-end. Meanwhile, further detailed plans for the ERR near the A30 Crewkerne Road are expected from Gladman Developments, following their January outline permission for 230 homes. Decisions on Persimmon Homes South West’s proposal for 236 homes on A358 Tatworth Road, including a new roundabout and the southernmost ERR section, are also forthcoming.