Taunton’s MP, Gideon Amos, is advocating for the establishment of a secondary school and a new health hub on the Orchard Grove estate, the town’s largest housing development.
Located on the western edge of Taunton, Somerset’s county town, Orchard Grove is planned to include 2,000 homes stretching between the A38 Wellington Road and Honiton Road near the village of Trull. While a primary school has already been constructed, alongside ongoing development of commercial spaces, a car home, and a ‘park and bus’ facility, critical infrastructure gaps remain.
Currently, the Orchard Grove consortium has developed Egremont Road, a spine road connecting the Wellington Road roundabout to the new primary school. However, this road will only extend fully to Honiton Road after further development phases. The delivery of these homes is constrained by the ongoing phosphate crisis, which requires extensive environmental mitigation efforts, delaying construction progress.
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MP Amos highlights that recent challenges, including mortgage rate increases and expensive phosphate mitigation requirements, have slowed housing delivery. He believes that funding for essential infrastructure—including a secondary school, a medical hub, and the completion of Egremont Road—would accelerate development considerably.
In a letter to Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook, Amos urged government support for these initiatives, emphasizing the critical nature of the Honiton Road access junction to complete Orchard Grove. With Somerset Council facing significant budget constraints and unable to cover these capital costs alone, government funding is seen as crucial to unlocking the estate’s full potential.
The estimated cost breakdown includes £55 million for the proposed secondary school, £5 million to finish Egremont Road, and £4 million for the planned health hub. The push for the health hub is especially urgent following the recent permanent closure of Luson Surgery in Wellington, which increases pressure on local health services.
Developers—including Taylor Wimpey, Bovis Homes, Linden Homes, and LiveWest—have shown support for a healthcare facility within the site’s dedicated local centre, although they note no formal planning obligations require this. While the primary school represents their completed education contribution, the consortium confirms the spine road’s continuation will proceed incrementally once certain housing triggers are met.
Somerset Council is actively engaged in securing funding through the government’s new homes accelerator fund to support infrastructure alongside housing growth. However, outcomes remain pending.
Meanwhile, NHS Somerset remains open to exploring options for expanded primary care facilities near Orchard Grove but stresses that any new health hub would require a comprehensive needs assessment and reliable funding mechanisms. The NHS confirms ongoing monitoring of existing primary care capacity and has invested in expansions at other Taunton surgeries.
As Orchard Grove continues to evolve, collaboration between government bodies, developers, and health authorities will be vital to delivering the schools, roads, and health services the growing community needs.