The masterplan for a proposed new town comprising 7,000 homes near Taunton has been released, sparking significant local interest and concern. The development is planned on a 1,200-acre site known as the Orchard Portman estate, sold by the Crown Estate to prominent developer Taylor Wimpey in 2019 for £12.5 million, according to the Somerset County Gazette.
Taylor Wimpey confirmed in early July its intention to progress the new town plans east of Taunton Racecourse, submitting the site ahead of the initial public consultation for Somerset Council’s Local Plan. This plan outlines housing and employment allocations up to the year 2045.
The Save the Blackdown Vale campaign group, newly established to oppose the project, successfully obtained detailed documents through a Freedom of Information request made in April. These provide insight into discussions between Taylor Wimpey and Somerset Council dating back to January 2025. With just two weeks remaining before the consultation closes, local residents are urged to voice their opinions.
READ MORE: Bath Rugby Announces U18 Squad for 2026/27 PREM Next Gen League
READ MORE: Plans for 60 Homes on ‘Dangerous and Uncrossable’ Somerset Road Delayed Again
Campaigner Rob Hossell expressed grave concerns about the effect of such a large-scale development on the Blackdown Vale’s natural beauty. He highlighted that the area is designated as a national landscape, carrying planning protections equivalent to a national park, and warned that no amount of green space could offset the visual impact of 7,000 homes.
“The masterplan reveals just how the new town could destroy the scenic beauty of the Blackdown Vale if it is ever built,” said Mr Hossell. “Few people realise a national landscape has the same status as a national park in planning terms, which is a crucial consideration often overshadowed by current housing initiatives.”
According to the masterplan, the new “garden village” would stretch east of the racecourse, extending north to Haydon Lane and nearly encircling the community of Stoke St. Mary. The proposal includes several neighbourhood hubs designed to provide community spaces, healthcare facilities, and sustainable transport options, with at least three such centres outlined across the development.
Educational provisions are part of the plans, including a new primary school at the site’s southern edge and a potential secondary school in the Shoreditch area north of the racecourse.
Taylor Wimpey has committed to preserving over half of the site as green space designated for sports, recreation, food growing, equestrian activities, children’s play, and biodiversity enhancement, ensuring no housing would be constructed within the Blackdown Hills boundary. The masterplan confirms that much of the land on the southern and eastern edges would remain open, featuring public spaces and enhanced rights of way.
Colin Fisher, another campaigner from Save the Blackdown Vale, emphasised the importance of continued public engagement. He noted that while council officers had suggested new settlements might be excluded from the next Local Plan stage, documents hint at the inclusion of “new settlements” constituting around ten per cent of new housing-roughly equating to the size of Taylor Wimpey’s proposal.
Former Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow, who has actively opposed the development, commented on the need to protect the national landscape. She encouraged residents to contact their local councillors, who hold ultimate responsibility for the Local Plan, stressing that while housing is necessary, it must not come at the cost of damaging Somerset’s countryside.
“Additional housing is essential,” Pow stated, “but it must be located appropriately. The area east of the motorway is unsuitable for such extensive development and should be preserved.”
The Local Plan consultation, initially ending on 24 July, has been extended to 9 August following resident feedback. Responses will be summarised in early November, with further consultation rounds scheduled through to 2028. The Council aims to adopt the new plan by 16 March 2029.
Residents wishing to learn more about the campaign can visit www.blackdownvale.org.uk or find “Save the Blackdown Vale” on Facebook. To participate in the consultation, visit www.somersetcouncil.citizenspace.com/planning/local-plan-scoping-consultation-2026/consultation.