Somerset Council is under intense pressure to approve plans for 208 new homes in Taunton’s largest housing development before stricter phosphate mitigation rules take effect under the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Act.
The ambitious Orchard Grove development, positioned between the A38 Wellington Road in Comeytrowe and Honiton Road in Trull, is set to eventually feature 2,000 homes alongside commercial spaces, a primary school, a care home, and a park-and-ride facility.
Progress has been hindered by ongoing phosphate-related environmental restrictions. Currently, construction is focused on the ‘western neighbourhood’ near the A38 and the primary school, while development in the eastern area closer to Honiton Road remains paused.
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The council faces a race against time to approve these housing plans ahead of new phosphate mitigation requirements that will be enforced as part of updated environmental safeguards, designed to protect the internationally important Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site.
In a recent strategic planning committee meeting, Chief Planning Officer Alison Blom-Cooper highlighted efforts to fast-track approvals. She noted ongoing discussions with Homes England to secure funding and planning support, facilitated by the government’s new homes accelerator fund—Orchard Grove being the only southwestern site to benefit from this post-2024 election initiative.
This funding aims to unlock infrastructure bottlenecks and promote development on large consented sites across the nation. Ms. Blom-Cooper emphasized the developers’ urgency to resolve reserved matters applications prior to the phosphate rules becoming statutory, citing the importance of timing due to the Planning and Infrastructure Act.
Since 2020, Natural England has mandated that new developments in the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment provide mitigation measures—like creating wetlands or purchasing phosphate credits—to prevent an increase in phosphate pollution. These regulations have delayed numerous housing projects.
However, a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2025 clarified that sites with outline consent granted before August 2020 are exempt from additional mitigation requirements at the reserved matters stage. This ruling has allowed Somerset Council to clear previously stalled projects, including housing developments in Martock and Tintinhull.
The new Planning and Infrastructure Act requires Natural England to conduct thorough “appropriate assessments” of developments potentially affecting Ramsar sites, with consent granted only upon acceptable mitigation proposals. The exact implementation date of these provisions remains uncertain, pending guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Meanwhile, Somerset Council is expediting decisions on Orchard Grove’s reserved matters applications, which include two proposals totaling 208 homes near Egremont Road. Ms. Blom-Cooper noted: “There is a window to determine these applications before the provisions come into force, thanks to precedent set by the Supreme Court. How long this window remains open is unclear and depends on when the new rules are enacted.”
The outcome is crucial for meeting housing demand in Taunton while balancing stringent environmental protections, as Somerset Council navigates this delicate regulatory landscape in the months ahead.