A planning inquiry commenced this week into the contentious proposal to build 125 homes on the cherished ‘green wedge’ in Trull, Somerset. These green wedges were identified in the Taunton Deane Core Strategy, endorsed by the Planning Inspectorate in July 2012, as nine vital landscape areas designed to protect the environment and prevent Taunton from merging with neighbouring communities.
In early February, Somerset Council’s planning and transport policy executive sub-committee decisively ruled against reviewing the green wedges, effectively rejecting an attempt to remove the Trull Ridge green wedge designation, which encompasses the site in question.
Subsequently, the council’s planning committee west voted to refuse an application submitted by BSL Strategic Ltd for 125 homes on the western section of this green wedge. Upon appeal by the developer in May, the matter escalated to a public inquiry, now underway at Taunton Racecourse, with a final decision anticipated before the year’s end.
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The proposed development includes constructing a spine road linking Comeytrowe Road to College Way, and upgrading a footpath along the western edge of the site. Of the 125 homes planned, 31 are designated affordable, meeting the council’s goal of 25 per cent affordable housing for developments of ten or more homes in the former Taunton Deane area.
Planning Inspector Beverley Wilders officially opened proceedings on Tuesday 8 September, hearing initial statements from representatives of the developer, Somerset Council, and Trull Parish Council.
Christian Hawley, barrister for the developer, argued that the council’s refusal could not be justified given the insufficient five-year housing land supply. He highlighted a contested shortfall between his estimate of 1,583 dwellings (a 3.06-year supply) and the council’s estimate of 979 dwellings (3.80 years' supply). Mr Hawley also noted the lack of a recent local plan solution, acknowledging some harm to landscape character but emphasising it would be less than claimed by the council and parish council.
Conversely, Clare Parry, representing Somerset Council, stressed the long-standing importance of green wedges in local planning policy since the 1980s. She argued that development would cause “unacceptable harm,” as more than half the green wedge would shift from open agricultural land to residential and urban infrastructure, thereby undermining its function. Ms Parry noted a recent separate application for 74 homes on the eastern part of the Trull green wedge under consultation, reaffirming the area’s continued role in preventing urban sprawl and preserving local identity.
Michael Feeney, for Trull Parish Council, which is opposing the development backed by community funding for legal costs, echoed concerns about the proposal’s contradiction with existing planning policies. He described the green wedge as integral to maintaining Trull’s rural village character, warning that the development would irreversibly damage this protected landscape.
The inquiry will span six days, including a site visit. Inspector Wilders is expected to publish her determination on the Planning Inspectorate’s website before Christmas. Somerset Council is also anticipated to reach a decision in the next six months regarding a separate housing proposal by Strongvox Homes on the eastern green wedge.