Walking and cycling to school in the expanding Somerset village of Williton will soon become more accessible and safer, thanks to a major new housing development. The Wyndham Estate, located on the western edge of Williton along the A39 Priest Street, secured outline planning permission in November 2021 to deliver up to 350 new homes, alongside commercial spaces, leisure facilities, and public open areas.
After legal agreements between the landowner and Somerset Council were finalized in February 2024, Lovell Homes acquired the site and submitted revised plans in July 2024. Despite some local concerns about increased traffic, flooding, and renewable energy usage, the council’s west planning committee approved these plans in mid-May.
A key aspect of the development includes enhanced walking and cycling routes near Williton’s two primary schools: St. Peter’s Church of England First School and Danesfield Church of England Middle School. The site, positioned north of the vital A39, is part of the West Somerset Local Plan’s allocated growth areas for the village.
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Remarkably, 44% of the new homes (155 properties) will be affordable, exceeding the local plan’s 35% target. Vehicular access is restricted to Priest Street, and commercial development will be focused along the main road, subject to future planning approvals.
Pedestrian infrastructure improvements include upgraded existing footpaths connecting the new homes with vital village locations. One notable path links the site to Williton Community Hospital via Shutgate Meadow. This overgrown but hard-surfaced route must be upgraded and completed before the first new home is occupied, ensuring at least one safe active travel option.
Additional footpath enhancements will connect the site to B3191 North Road near the schools and the A39 Priest Street. These links must be finished before 50% and 90% of the homes are occupied, respectively. The developer is expected to invest around £500,000 in these improvements.
Powell Dobson Architects, representing Lovell Homes, emphasized that the design incorporates strong accessibility with safe and sustainable routes for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists within and outside the development site.
For students attending the local schools, funding from the development—around £3.6 million—will support the creation of new school places to accommodate the growing population. However, traveling between the two schools currently involves navigating either a sharp bend with poor visibility or a frequently overgrown footpath.
To enhance safety and convenience, two significant improvements are part of the development plan. First, the existing unmarked crossing outside Danesfield School will be replaced with a toucan crossing that accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists, benefiting users of the nearby steep Grove Copse footpath and providing better access to areas like Watchet.
Second, the existing footpath between Doniford Road and the B3191 Five Bells will be transformed into a shared pedestrian and cycle route, creating a new section of the Steam Coast Trail. This trail will eventually provide a continuous off-road link to Minehead. Approximately £200,000 is allocated for this one-mile stretch, which will be built using environmentally sensitive techniques similar to those at Dunster Beach and Washford.
This new trail section will also connect with existing active travel routes in the Orchard Brooks development on Doniford Road. Additionally, plans are in place to improve Liddymore Lane into a more accessible walking and cycling pathway, linking Williton with neighboring areas as further housing developments progress.
Lovell Homes is simultaneously working on two other developments in the region—80 homes on Dene Road, Cotford St. Luke, and 71 homes on Burges Lane, Wiveliscombe—with construction at the Williton site anticipated to begin by spring 2026.