New homes planned for green space in Castle Cary
29 new properties could be built on Station Road
The last green space between a Somerset town and its nearest railway station could soon be covered in nearly 30 new houses.
The B3152 Station Road in Castle Cary has seen significant interest from housing developers in recent years, with numerous new estates being approved and constructed between the town centre and the station.
Redcliffe Homes has started a consultation with local residents over proposals to build 29 new homes between Almsford Close and the Lovells Farm development, on the Eastern side of the road.
A formal planning application is expected to be submitted to South Somerset District Council in September, with a final decision due to be taken by early-2023.
In a letter to residents, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the developer – which is based in Chipping Sodbury near Bristol – promises to deliver 29 homes off a single-spine road linked to Station Road a few hundred yards north of the Almsfort Close entrance.
The proposals also include additional tree planting at the northern edge of the site, play and recreation space, and “the creation of a wetlands feature with board-walk” at the eastern edge, in order to offset any additional phosphates the development may create within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area.
Following the Dutch N court ruling and subsequent legal advice from Natural England, any new development within this area must provide additional phosphate mitigation – a ruling which is holding up the delivery of around 18,000 homes across Somerset.
The developer is about to begin construction on the Gascoigne Park development in Milborne Port near Sherborne, comprising 65 new homes, a convenience store and a community hall.
A spokesman said: “We are seeking the views of the community, including people who live and work in the local area, as your feedback is important to us.”
The area around the planned Redcliffe site has been significantly developed in the last few years, with Castle Cary and the neighbouring parish of Ansford exceeding the minimum housing targets specified within the council’s Local Plan.
Wyke Farms and Hopkins Development jointly won an appeal against the council in May to build 200 homes on the A371 Station Road, on land immediate to the south of the railway station (which provides mainline services to Taunton and London Paddington).
The Stonewater housing association is delivering a total of 125 homes on the Mulberry Meadows site on the western side of the B3152, opposite the Lovells Farm development of 75 homes being built by Chippenham-based developer Backhouse Housing.
Moving south, housing association Abri applied in January 2021 to build 37 new homes on land opposite Almsfort Close – though a decision on these plans has yet to be made.
Outline permission was granted in June 2016 for a further 165 homes and a new primary school between the B3152 and Torbay Close – but a decision is still pending on a reserved matters application from Persimmon Homes Severn Valley (which covers the fine details surrounding the design and layout of the homes).
To give your feedback on the initial Station Road proposals, email RedcliffeHomes-StationRoad@aecom.com or send a letter FAO Emma Norman to AECOM, 3rd Floor, Portwall Place, Portwall Lane, Bristol, BS1 6NA by August 12.
The council is expected to make a decision on the resulting planning application by the beginning of next year.