Somerset Council is in a critical race against time to approve plans for 208 new homes at Taunton’s largest development site, Orchard Grove, before new phosphate mitigation regulations come into force.
Located between the A38 Wellington Road in Comeytrowe and Honiton Road near Trull, the Orchard Grove development is being delivered by a consortium of major homebuilders including Taylor Wimpey, Bovis Homes, Linden Homes, and LiveWest. Once complete, the project will encompass 2,000 homes alongside commercial facilities, a primary school, a care home, and a ‘park and bus’ service.
Progress on the site has been delayed due to ongoing environmental concerns related to phosphate pollution affecting the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site, an internationally protected wetland. Homes within the ‘western neighbourhood’ near the A38 are being constructed, while development in the ‘eastern neighbourhood’ remains paused pending phosphate mitigation solutions.
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The council urgently seeks to approve over 200 homes within the current reserved matters applications before the Planning and Infrastructure Act introduces stricter phosphate mitigation requirements. This legislation, passed just before Christmas 2025, mandates that planning consent can only be granted if adequate environmental measures are approved to prevent a net increase in phosphates.
In September 2025, the government allocated funding through its new homes accelerator fund to unlock infrastructure projects at Orchard Grove. Notably, Orchard Grove was the only south west development to receive this funding, established following Labour’s July 2024 general election victory to overcome barriers on large consented sites nationwide.
Chief Planning Officer Alison Blom-Cooper informed the council’s strategic planning committee that they are finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Homes England, which will support planning and urban design efforts on the site. She emphasized the consortium’s push to expedite application approvals before the new Ramsar site regulations become statutory.
The phosphate issue traces back to Natural England’s 2020 guidance, which required new developments in the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment to implement phosphate mitigation through measures such as wetland creation or purchasing phosphate credits. This guidance has stalled thousands of homes across Somerset due to complex site-by-site negotiations.
However, in October 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that developments with outline consent granted before Natural England’s 2020 advice—like those at Orchard Grove—are exempt from providing additional phosphate mitigation at the reserved matters stage. This precedent has already enabled the council to approve smaller developments delayed by phosphate concerns.
Despite this legal clarity, the Planning and Infrastructure Act introduces new “appropriate assessments” by Natural England for developments impacting Ramsar sites, complicating timelines. Ms. Blom-Cooper is seeking guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on when these assessments will be enforced.
For now, Somerset Council plans to fast-track decisions on the 208-home proposals adjacent to Egremont Road within the Orchard Grove site, capitalizing on the window before new rules take effect. Ms. Blom-Cooper cautioned that the length of this approval window remains uncertain, pending the enactment of provisions and any transitional arrangements.