New homes to be built in village after court ruling

DOZENS of new homes can be built in a growing village following a recent ruling by the Supreme Court.

- DANIEL MUMBY Local democracy journalist

Richard Frankpitt secured outline planning permission in February 2018 to build 35 homes north of Lyndhurst Grove in Martock, following a successful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Larkfleet Homes SW Ltd. put forward detailed plans (known as a reserved matters application) in June 2020, which would see the new houses built between the existing homes on Lyndhurst Grove and the former railway line.

‘The application was one of more than 50 proposals within the former South Somerset area, which was significantly delayed by the ongoing phosphates crisis, with developers needing to secure additional mitigation to prevent further damage to the Somerset Levels and Moors.

But following a ruling by the Supreme Court in October, Somerset Council has been able to approve these plans without additional mitigation being secured - meaning construction could at last begin by the summer of 2026.

‘The new homes would be accessed by extending Lyndhurst Grove to the north, with additional landscaping being provided at the northern edge along the former trackbed to screen the homes from the Martock Business Park.