100-metre stretch of hedgerow will have to be torn down to give access

MORE than 100 metres of hedgerow near a doctors’ surgery will need to be torn down to provide access to a new housing estate.

- DANIEL MUMBY Local democracy journalist

Persimmon Homes South West secured outline planning permission in January 2024 to construct up to 360 homes on Canal Way in Ilminster, on land adjacent to the Meadows Surgery.

The Exeter-based developer has submitted detailed plans for the access arrangements, which involve removing 120 metres of hedges and changing the current layout of the surgery’s car park.

Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the plans by the autumn.

The development site lies between Canal Way and Herne Hill, which was designated as a local nature reserve by South Somerset District Council in July 2018.

To access the site, the existing southern arm of the Canal Way roundabout will be extended further south, with the hedges to the east of the doctors’ surgery being removed.

The car park, which also serves the Summervale medical centre and other health services based in the town, will be remodelled, allowing for a wide access road with a shared pedestrian and cycle path on its western side.