Revised plans for 54 new homes backed by council

Revised plans for 54 new homes in a town have been backed by a local authority.

Curo housing association submitted plans to deliver the homes on the Underhill Farm site on Orchard Vale, in Midsomer Norton.

Somerset Council rejected the developer's original plans for 60 homes in November 2023, arguing they would put "undue strain" on local amenities.

Although committee members in Somerset have backed the updated plans, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council must also approve them.

Under the proposals, 26 and 28 Orchard Vale - which are currently owned by Curo - will be demolished to make way for a new access road into the site.

Of the 54 homes, 16 will be affordable, meeting the council's 30% target for any new development exceeding 10 homes in the former Mendip area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Curo submitted revised plans for 60 homes earlier this year and lodged an appeal with Somerset Council's Planning Inspectorate after they were rejected.

The appeal cannot be withdrawn unless BANES Council approve the new proposals.

Although Midsomer Norton lies predominantly within the BANES area, the site is under control of Somerset Council, and is therefore subject to its planning policies.

Speaking about the proposals at Somerset Council's planning committee meeting on Tuesday, Councillor Shaun Hughes, from BANES, said: “It’s frustrating that we’re here again, and it’s difficult to understand why.

“This is a duplicate of the original application which was refused by both councils in November.

"The only significant change is that this is no longer part of your Local Plan – you don’t actually need it.

“It’s not part of our Local Plan – we don’t want it, the residents don’t want it, even a High Court judge didn’t want it."

In spite of these concerns, the majority of committee members said the new plans represented an improvement on the previous proposals.

The earliest BANES Council’s planning committee will consider the proposals will be at its next meeting on 5 June.

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