Phosphate rules mean west Somerset towns may bear brunt of housing growth
Somerset West and Taunton Council has been particularly affected by the crisis as a result of a Dutch N court ruling to not increase phosphate levels on the Levels and Moors
Minehead and other towns in west Somerset may have to bear the brunt of the district’s housing growth until a permanent solution to the phosphates crisis can be agreed.
Around 18,000 homes across Somerset have been delayed as a result of the Dutch N court ruling, which prohibits any net increase in phosphate levels within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area.
Somerset West and Taunton Council has been particularly affected by the crisis, and has launched a new system of phosphate credits in a bid to unlock developments within the former Taunton Deane area.
The council has now published figures showing the amount of land which can be developed in each part of the district over the next five years – with the west Somerset coast having significantly more available.
Every local authority in England has to demonstrate that it has a five-year land supply – in other words, that there is sufficient land in a given district to deliver a set number of new homes over a five-year period.
If a council does not have a five-year land supply, this makes it easier for developers to secure permission to build housing outside of allocated settlement areas, in accordance with national planning policy.
The land supply is calculated by adding up the following;
- Large sites which have planning permission (e.g. the Orchard Grove development in Taunton)
- Small sites which have planning permission (e.g. 28 homes on Derham Close in Creech St. Michael)
- Other deliverable site opportunities (i.e. sites which may not be allocated in the Local Plan)
- A windfall allowance (taking an average of the number of homes delivered on sites not allocated in the Local Plan)
This is then divided by the total five-year land supply requirement, which is set in the Local Plan and agreed by central government.
The figures were published ahead of a meeting of the council’s corporate scrutiny committee in Taunton on Wednesday evening (January 4).
According to its calculations, the former Taunton Deane area – which includes Taunton, Wellington, Wiveliscombe and the surrounding villages – only had enough land for just over four years’ supply in March 2022.
However, this has risen to just over five years’ supply once the phosphate credits and other measures are taken into account, meaning a total of 3,673 could be feasibly delivered by 2028.
The former West Somerset area – which includes Minehead, Watchet, Williton and the surrounding villages – currently has nearly seven-and-a-half years’ land supply, with 846 homes expected to be delivered in this time.
Crucially, very little of West Somerset falls within the Levels and Moors catchment area – meaning developers do not need to secure additional mitigation before homes can be built there.
While the overall number of homes due to be delivered in West Somerset is smaller than Taunton Deane’s allocation, the delays in securing phosphate mitigation in the latter area mean that housing in West Somerset may be delivered at a faster rate – and in higher quantities.
The former district – which was abolished in 2019 – has seen numerous large housing developments approved in recent times, including 350 homes on the A39 Priest Street in Williton, 250 homes on Liddymore Road in Watchet (which is currently under construction) and 211 homes across three neighbouring sites on the A39 Hopcott Road in Minehead.
Councillor Loretta Whetlor, who represents Watchet and Williton, said west Somerset should not have to shoulder more than its fair share of housing simply because of the phosphate crisis.
She told the committee: “Living in Watchet and the problems we’ve had with developers – I think we’ve had more windfall sites than anywhere.
“It seems as though where phosphates happen in one part of Somerset, we say: ‘let’s build them in Watchet, Williton and Minehead because they don’t have phosphate problems.”
Decisions are currently pending on further major applications in Watchet – including one for 350 homes and leisure elements on the former Wansborough Paper Mill site on the B3191 Brendon Road.
Alison Blom-Cooper, the council’s assistant director of strategic planning, confirmed that the former paper mill site was not included in the land supply assessments because it did not have any form of planning permission in place.
She said: “Because it hasn’t got planning permission, it’s probably not in those figures. We wouldn’t be allowed to count it.”
A decision on the Cleeve Hill site was expected to be taken by the council’s planning committee yesterday afternoon (January 5).