Plans to build nearly 50 new homes close to one of Somerset’s busiest railway stations have been revised by developer Backhouse Housing, aiming to better align with local concerns and environmental standards.
Castle Cary has experienced considerable housing expansion over the past decade, particularly in areas lying between the town centre and the nearby railway station located in Ansford parish. Initially, Backhouse Housing proposed 60 homes on Burfitt Road, opposite a planned development of 200 houses north of the A371 Ansford Hill.
Following public consultation and feedback, the developer has now reduced the number of homes to 49. Backhouse previously completed 74 homes at Lovel’s Farm, adjacent to the current site off Station Road. The new development will be accessed via Burfitt Road within the Lovel’s Farm area, with two dedicated pedestrian access points: one onto Lockett Drive at the western edge and another onto Ansford Hill, potentially including a pedestrian crossing.
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This layout aims to establish a complete walking and cycling route to Castle Cary railway station, which manages approximately 310,000 passenger journeys annually, utilizing the existing footpath through the Station Green site. However, no pedestrian connection has been planned between Backhouse’s site and the nearby Redcliffe Homes development of 29 houses on Station Road, approved in September 2024.
Grass Roots Planning, representing Backhouse, highlighted the benefits of the revised scheme, emphasizing the inclusion of up to 17 affordable homes in a location characterized by a severe shortage of housing supply. The developer anticipates construction completion within five years, contributing significantly to addressing the immediate housing deficit.
The scheme’s design respects the local landscape and complements adjacent developments to maintain aesthetic coherence. This approach supports a sustainable community growth strategy while addressing planning authorities’ expectations.
Being part of the River Brue catchment area, the development must include mitigation strategies to avoid increasing phosphate levels on the Somerset Levels and Moors. To meet these environmental requirements and government mandates for boosting biodiversity by ten percent, Backhouse is proposing to develop a new orchard on the site’s eastern section.
Somerset Council is expected to decide on this and other nearby developments, including revised Station Green plans, by year-end. Given the importance of these proposals, the decisions will likely be made publicly by the council’s planning committee south, which oversees major applications in the former South Somerset region.