NEARLY 60 new homes will be built in Nether Stowey on the edge of the Quantock Hills after plans were unanimously backed by local councillors.

Strongvox Homes is currently constructing the Cricketer Farm development north of the A39 Cannington Road in the village.

The initial development comprises 109 homes, with 16 being affordable as a result of a £1.5m grant from Homes England and £180,000 to offset the impact of the Hinkley Point C construction programme.

The Taunton-based developer applied last year to expand this development with a further 58 homes

After delaying a decision in May to allow for a site visit, Somerset Council’s planning committee north voted unanimously to back this next phase of the development when it met in Bridgwater on June 11.

The new homes will be built off the existing spine road through the site, connecting the second phase of the development to the crossroads with the A39, which was completed in 2022. Of the 58 new homes within this phase, 23 properties will be affordable, with the homes ranging from one-bedroom maisonettes to four-bedroom houses.

Two new attenuation ponds will be created along the north and east of the site, with some green space being set aside for a possible orchard.

As part of the development, around £490,000 will be provided through the community infrastructure levy (CIL) towards new schools or extending existing schools in and around the village, along with more than £23,000 for expanding or otherwise improving the Quantock Medical Centre on Banneson Road.

Since the May meeting of the committee, a three-storey block of flats earmarked for the south-eastern corner of the site has been scaled down to two storeys.

Councillor Brian Bolt (whose Cannington division includes the site) welcomed this change, stating: “This will take away the domineering appearance of the building.”

Councillor Alan Bradford (North Petherton) concurred: “This shows how important these site visits are, so we know what we’re talking about – the eye never lies.

“The three-storey issue has been sorted out – that was my prime concern, and the prime concern of the former AONB. It will make the development far more sensitive to what’s happening around it.”

Nether Stowey is expected to provide a minimum of 75 new homes by 2032 under the Sedgemoor Local Plan – a total which has already been exceeded.

In addition to the Cricketer Farm site, F. & G. Jeanes & Sons Ltd. is seeking permission to build 83 homes and a retail unit north of the A39 Long Cross, less than a mile west of the Strongvox site.

Strongvox is currently delivering homes at numerous sites across Somerset, including 40 homes on Lympsham Road in Lympsham (which were approved by Sedgemoor District Council in July 2022), 38 homes on the B3139 Blackford Road in Wedmore (approved in March 2021) and Paddons Farm in Stogursey (a stone’s throw from the Hinkley Point C site).

The committee voted unanimously to approve the plans – meaning construction on the new phase could begin before the end of this year.