Somerset councillors will decide next week whether nearly 150 new homes will be built in a growing coastal town. Grass Roots Planning were granted permission by Somerset West and Taunton Council in October 2019 to build 139 new homes on land either side of Normandy Avenue, at the south-eastern corner of Watchet.
Newport-based developer Edenstone Homes acquired the site in late-2022 and submitted amended proposals in January 2023 for the same number of properties. Further revisions were made to these plans earlier in the new year, with Somerset Council‘s planning committee west expected to make a decision on May 1.
The site straddles three agricultural fields either side of Normandy Avenue and Cherry Tree Way, a short distance from the Liddymore Park development of 250 homes currently being constructed by Summerfield Developments. The main access will be from a new junction on Doniford Road at the site’s eastern edge, providing a direct link to the neighbouring village of Williton.
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Under the original plans, a spine road would have run uninterrupted throughout the site to the northernmost homes, with Normandy Avenue being divided into two and accessed via staggered junctions. Following discussions with the council’s planning and highways officers, this has now been changed, with Normandy Avenue being retained as a continuous road and staggered junctions leading off it to the homes at either end of the site.
The existing farm track to Liddymore Farm will remain in place, allowing farm vehicles to pass through the development and maintaining the public right of way which provides access to Knights Templar Community Church School. Of the 139 homes planned for the site, 49 will be affordable (the equivalent of 35 per cent of properties), with the homes ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses.
The homes will be concentrated at the southern end of the site, with the northern tip being allocated for a hilltop park, preserving the existing views of the Bristol Channel. A spokesman for Grass Roots Planning (representing Edenstone Homes) said: “The proposed development offers a high-quality scheme that will play an important role in boosting the supply of housing in the area alongside wider benefits, including biodiversity gains and the provision of a large public park that is likely to be a destination for residents of the wider Watchet area, given the views and quality of walking routes it will deliver.”
Since Watchet does not lie within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, developers are not required by law to provide additional mitigation against any net rise in phosphates – making it easier for homes to be approved and constructed. The town could grow by up to 50 per cent in the coming years, with decisions still pending on 280 new homes on the former Wansborough Paper Mill site and a further 230 homes on the Parsonage Farm site, both located on the B3191 Brendon Road.
Both Watchet Town Council and Williton Parish Council objected to the previous iteration of the plans, arguing that the homes would be out of character with the existing properties and highlighting the ongoing closure of the B3191 Cleeve Hill (which links the town to Blue Anchor). A spokesman for the parish council said: “The proposed houses are not in keeping with the area. We would prefer stone-faced dwellings, using local stone.
“Chimneys would improve the character of the buildings and be more in keeping. Solar panels should be incorporated on each dwelling.
“The developer must make sure there is sufficient infrastructure to ensure each dwelling has enough power to charge two cars on a fast charge. Because of the location, residents will rely on their cars for transport to work or school.
“There has been no provision provided for public transport services. Strategic planning of the local road network needs to be reconsidered in view of other nearby developments and the closure of the B3191 at Cleeve Hill.”
Cleeve Hill has reopened to pedestrians and cyclists, but remains closed to cars and other vehicles, with Somerset Council continuing to lobby the government to fund a scheme which would move the road inland. The council’s planning committee west (which handles major applications in the former Somerset West and Taunton area) will meet in Taunton to discuss the Normandy Avenue proposals on Wednesday, May 1 at 2pm.
The meeting will be live-streamed via Microsoft Teams for those unable to attend.