Plans for a substantial housing development in Taunton have brought with it the prospect of up to 60 weeks of significant roadworks, though no official start date has been set. The Staplegrove urban extension will ultimately include 1,628 homes, commercial spaces, and a new primary school on land bordered by the A358 Staplegrove Road and Taunton Road, located on the north-western outskirts of Somerset’s county town.
Somerset Council’s planning committee west gave the green light in late June to widen Staplegrove Road and replace the Silk Mills roundabout with traffic signals in order to facilitate access to the western section of the development, which will contain 713 homes and an employment zone.
Highway officers revealed in late July that the roadworks are expected to extend for more than a year, with construction scheduled to minimize traffic disruption. Following Bloor Homes’ release of plans for the next phase—comprising 239 homes—Somerset Council has confirmed that they have yet to finalise a start date for the essential road upgrades.
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Phase 1A includes the creation of a new road junction, road network improvements, and the establishment of a landscaped buffer zone featuring public open space called West Hill Park. Permission for this phase was initially granted in July 2022, with revisions currently under separate consideration.
Phase 1B plans involve building the first 239 homes along the new spine road, which will connect Staplegrove Road to Taunton Road. Of these units, 203 will be market-rate homes with three to five bedrooms, while 21 will be designated for social rent and 15 for shared ownership.
The development will also feature several new green spaces, including Rectory Green near Rectory Road and Rag Hill Park north of the spine road. Future road connections will support the employment zone near Rectory Road.
A spokesperson for Carney Sweeney, representing the developer, explained that the project aims to foster a strong sense of community identity and ensure seamless connectivity between the new and existing neighborhoods. The spine road, central to the plan, has already received approval for reserved matters. Pedestrian and cycle pathways will be integrated throughout the site, linking it with surrounding areas.
Somerset Council aims to decide on these proposals by spring 2026; however, construction cannot commence until the spine road and A358 improvements are completed.
Significant earthworks will be necessary to accommodate the steep terrain along the spine road’s initial segment. The existing Silk Mills roundabout is set to be replaced by a signalised three-way junction, and the westbound A358 will be widened to include additional lanes and shared pedestrian and cycle paths. This will require the removal of some trees and verge near the Grove Gate and Nash Green estates.
To protect the new infrastructure and existing properties, a large retaining wall will be constructed along the southern edge of Staplegrove Road, between the sloped footpaths leading to Mill Rise and Nash Green. The Nash Green footpath will be retained and enhanced with new stairs and a twisting ramp connecting to Mill Rise.
On October 1, the council confirmed that a start date or work schedule has not yet been agreed upon. Jon Fellingham, service manager for highways development management, reassured the public that efforts are underway to prevent roadworks from overlapping and causing excessive traffic disruption.
Fellingham noted, “We have maintained continuous dialogue with the contractors and developers. Maintaining two-way traffic flow throughout the construction remains a top priority, and the contractor has been very cooperative.”
He added, “The 60-week timeline could be shortened, but extending the duration helps maintain smoother traffic flows, especially alongside other ongoing road projects across the network.”