Plans to build 30 “damaging” new homes in a small Somerset village have been narrowly refused by councillors. Glastonbury-based developer Galion Homes put forward plans in February 2021 to build the homes to the north of Church Street in Keinton Mandeville, near Somerton, with an existing bungalow being demolished to provide access.
Somerset Council’s planning committee south (which handles major applications in the former South Somerset area) deferred a decision on the plans in late-November 2024, citing concerns about over-development, road safety and the loss of green space in the heart of the village. The same committee has now narrowly voted to reject the proposals, arguing it was “unwanted” by local people and would damage the character of the local area.
The plans entailed the demolition of the bungalow Oriana to provide a new vehicular access into the site, which comprises green space to the north of Church Street. Two additional pedestrian accesses would have been provided as part of the plans – one onto Queen Street to the east, and one onto Lunns Close and the existing public right of way to the west.
Of the 30 new homes planned for the site, 11 will be affordable, exceeding the council’s target of 35 per cent affordable housing for any new development of ten homes or more in this part of Somerset. The plans originally included the provision of a new pre-school classroom for the local primary school; however, this has already been provided through a separate planning application.
The application was one of more than 50 in the former South Somerset area which has been significantly delayed by the phosphates crisis, with developers needing to secure additional mitigation to prevent any net increase in phosphates on the Somerset Levels and Moors. To mitigate these new homes, Galion intended to plant five-and-a-half hectares of deciduous woodland at Manor Farm in the neighbouring village of West Lydford, which also lies within the River Cary catchment area.
Plans for 30 homes on Church Street in Keinton Mandeville
(Image: Orme Architecture)
The delivery of this woodland was expected to coincide with Wessex Water’s planned upgrade of the Somerton waste water treatment plant, which it has promised to deliver before early-2030. Fletcher Robinson from CPRE Somerset reiterated his concerns about the proposed development when the planning committee south met in Yeovil on December 17, 2024.
He said: “This is the most important open space in the heart of Keinton Mandeville – no wonder there are more than 400 objections. If you fill in the most important, distinctive local space in a small village like this, you end up with a town with no facilities.
“The planning test for the protection of significant open space isn’t public access – it’s whether it’s close to the community and has local significance. The listed buildings near the site are entirely going to lose their heritage setting.”
Galion is currently delivering 36 homes at the St. Dunstan’s Mede site in Baltonsborough, and recently secured permission for two further developments in Butleigh – comprising 37 new homes and a co-working hub on Baltonsborough Road (approved in early-March 2024) and 32 homes on Sub Road (approved in early-November 2024). The developer also won a recent appeal to the Planning Inspectorate over the delivery of 49 new homes on Broadway Hill in Horton, a stone’s throw from the A303 between Ilminster and the Blackdown Hills national landscape (formerly area of outstanding natural beauty, or AONB).
Neil Bain, who lives on Queen Street, said: “The Planning Inspectorate has twice refused permission for new homes in Keinton Mandeville on the grounds that it would erode the character of the settlement. It is incorrect to say that the fields are inaccessible.
“Such statements are not only inaccurate, but completely irrelevant.” Local resident Paul Shawcross added: “The benefits of 11 affordable dwellings are very limited when set in the correct context.
Residents in Keinton Mandeville say vehicles mount the pavement to pass ongoing cars – and it’s becoming a massive problem
(Image: Lisa Poyton)
“A freedom of information request to Somerset Council reports that there are 2,020 vacant properties in south Somerset alone. You have already granted permission to over 2,300 dwellings in the past 12 months.
“National planning policy dictates a presumption against development in a rural settlement with no employment and extremely limited public transport, which forces residents to travel by personal vehicle to their employment, medical facilities, supermarkets and leisure activities.” The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was recently revised by the new Labour government, with a standard methodology being introduced to determine how many new homes each council had to deliver in a given year.
As part of its drive to build 1.5 million new homes over the current parliament, the government has upped Somerset’s annual housing target from 2,669 to 3,769 – an increase of 41 per cent. Since the council does not currently have a five-year land supply, any decision to refuse plans for new homes must be accompanied by “strong” reasons for refusal – otherwise the decision could be overturned at an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, incurring potentially significant legal costs to the council.
Councillor Sue Osborne (Conservative, Ilminster) at the strategic planning committee meeting
(Image: Somerset Council)
Councillor Stephen Page (whose Somerton division includes the site) said: “It is speculative to know whether Wessex Water’s infrastructure can actually cope with these extra houses – and that does concern me. It has very serious implications.
“I do very strongly feel that this development is going to have a very damaging impact on Keinton Mandeville. It’s an unwanted urban development within a small, distinctive rural settlement.
“This development is not in the right place, and it doesn’t offer the right type of housing.” Councillor Sue Osborne (Ilminster) agreed, stating: “This is a valued open space in the middle of the village. If you lose this green space, you will lose the local distinctiveness and run the risk that this will become just another dormitory village.”
Councillor Kevin Messenger (Castle Cary) added: “If you listen to the people of Keinton Mandeville, more than 400 people in the village are opposed to this. It must mean it is going to impact badly on their lifestyles and where they live.”
Councillor Oliver Patrick (Coker) warned that refusing the plans would be difficult to defend if the developer chose to appeal.
He said: “I think there are very limited options available to anyone who wishes to refuse this. We are not here to write the law – and if we get decisions wrong, council tax payers will foot the bill and we will lose control over decisions in this county.
Councillor Oliver Patrick
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
“The benefits of this scheme are measured in pounds and pence for the community. You cannot just keep sitting here and going against officer advice.”
Despite these warnings, the committee voted to refuse the plans by four votes to three, with one abstention.
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