FRESH plans to develop a 30-acre site near North Petherton have been submitted – for up to 210 homes.

Gladman Developments Ltd has submitted a request for a ‘screening opinion’ to Somerset Council for a site at Newton Road, bordering Stafflands Farm.

A previous scheme, for up to 140 homes, was refused in 2017, and an appeal against the decision dismissed the following year.

However, the new application said that refusal, “solely due to their (the inspector’s) judgement that the conflict with the local plan’s locational policies, was greater than the benefits of the appeal proposal, at that point in time”.

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The application said the scheme would “deliver a range of market and affordable housing”, with 30% of the properties designated as affordable.

It said following the opinion, an outline planning application would be submitted for the development, including:

• Demolition of existing outbuildings on the site
• Up to 210 residential dwellings
• Access from Newton Road
• Public open space, landscape planting and play facilities
• Engineering work to facilitate a sustainable drainage system

The site as seen from the M5 motorway near Bridgwater. Picture: Google

“Residential buildings could be expected to comprise two-storey properties as the standard approach, however the use of 2.5-storey buildings will be occasionally used to either reinforce an important street, or to act as a landmark building and these will be carefully considered within the layout,” the plan said.

“Dwellings would be accessed via a hierarchy of estate roads to private drives.”

For more details on the plans, log on to somerset.gov.uk and search application reference 37/25/00023.