Construction on one of Somerset’s largest housing estates, Wool Gardens on the eastern edge of Crewkerne, is set to progress more rapidly following an important Supreme Court ruling.
The development, led by Taylor Wimpey, will ultimately include 635 homes, a 66-bed care home, commercial units, and a relief road connecting the A30 Yeovil Road with Station Road (A356). Already, work on 110 homes at the southern portion of the site is largely complete, with temporary traffic lights in place on Station Road until 31 August to facilitate the finishing of the new access road.
Previously, planning consent stipulated that homes within the northern section of the estate could not be occupied until adequate phosphate mitigation measures were agreed upon between Taylor Wimpey and Somerset Council. This was to prevent further environmental harm to the Somerset Levels and Moors, an area sensitive to phosphate pollution.
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However, a landmark Supreme Court decision in October 2025, arising from a legal dispute between Somerset Council and developers C. G. Fry and Sons over the Jurston Fields scheme near M5 Junction 26, has altered this requirement. The court ruled that developments with outline planning consent granted before Natural England’s August 2020 phosphate advice were not required to provide additional phosphate mitigation at the reserved matters stage.
This ruling impacts approximately 12,000 homes stalled across the region. It has already allowed progress at the Jurston Fields site, with plans for 335 additional homes under consideration, and has similarly unlocked developments including 35 homes at Lyndhurst Grove in Martock and 28 homes at Head Street in Tintinhull.
Confirming the implications for Wool Gardens, Somerset Council solicitor Martin Evans wrote to Taylor Wimpey’s land and planning director, Richard Harrison. He explained that phosphate mitigation conditions imposed on reserved matters approvals at the Crewkerne Key Site were legally unenforceable due to the Supreme Court’s ruling. Accordingly, the council will not enforce these conditions and the planning officers are considering their removal from the approvals.
Under the current permission, Taylor Wimpey may proceed with delivering up to 110 homes on the northern part before submitting further applications. A separate planning application for the remaining 415 homes is currently under evaluation.
“Given that the two conditions are legally unenforceable, our planning officers consider that they could be removed from the reserved matters approvals.” – Martin Evans, Council solicitor
This legal clarity is set to significantly speed up delivery of new homes in Crewkerne and other parts of Somerset, addressing both housing needs and environmental regulations with renewed certainty.