The Somerset County Council’s decision has paved the way for the next phase of the North Taunton Woolaway Project, a significant low-cost housing initiative in Taunton. The project aims to replace 162 ‘defective’ Woolaway homes in the Priorswood area with nearly 230 low-carbon council houses, while also refurbishing 27 homes.
Phase A has already been completed, delivering 47 new homes across five sites. The next phase, to be carried out by appointed contractors, will see the demolition of existing properties and the construction of 53 new dwellings.
Phases B and C, which received planning permission in July 2022, will involve replacing 136 existing dwellings with 111 higher quality properties. Due to the phosphates crisis, these phases have been subdivided to allow for more time to secure mitigation, both within the development site and elsewhere in the River Tone catchment area.
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Hughes and Salvidge have been tasked with handling the remaining demolitions and subsequent construction under phases B, C, and D. The work will also include the demolition of obsolete council properties on Coleridge Crescent and Wordsworth Drive. Following the completion of demolition, Phase B and part of Phase C will commence, with a total of 51 new homes being constructed, in addition to two further homes in a previously designated community center.
The council’s original contractor, Equans, has exited new contracts in the region, leaving the new contractor’s identity undisclosed due to commercial sensitivity. The council’s executive committee has approved the new contract, and demolition work for the upcoming phases is anticipated to commence later in the spring. Phase B is projected to reach completion by late-2025.
Federica Smith-Roberts, the portfolio holder for communities, housing, and culture, expressed enthusiasm for the new phase, emphasizing the positive impact it would have on local residents. Council leader Bill Revans echoed this sentiment, praising the quality of the homes during a site visit.
For more information about the North Taunton Woolaway project, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/housing-support/council-and-social-housing/north-taunton-woolaway-project-overview.