YOU may have noticed that housing developers tend to apply to build hundreds of home across the Deane near enough every week.

It's widely agreed across the country that we are in a shortage of homes. Government estimations state that England needs around 232,000 to 300,000 new homes a year, a level that has not been reached since the late 1970s, and is two to three times the current supply. 

Issues such as rising life expectancy, immigration, and the growing number of one-person households, have led to the national shortage. 

In Taunton Deane, areas ear-marked for development have been set out in a document named the Site Allocation and Development Management Plan (SADMP) and the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) outlines how many homes are needed. 

The SHLAA is an important component of the council’s evidence base for housing, identifying the supply of housing land anticipated to come forward over the next five years as well as the stock of longer term development opportunities.

TDBC has committed to supplying at least 17,000 new homes from 2008-2028. This includes 4,500 from 2016-2021 and 7,500 from 2021-2028.  The authority says that these plans give them a greater power to 'fend off' unwanted or unnecessary applications than a council that doesn't have these plans. 

A TDBC spokesman said: "We have a plan-led system in this country and because of this we have a number of recently adopted planning policy documents covering the Borough. 

"This means we have a 'pipeline' of housing sites identified to meet our future requirements. 

"In principle, this should allow Taunton Deane to fend off speculative applications to a greater extend than an authority which doesn't have plans in place. 

"Planning applications are made in accordance with the plan(s) unless material considerations indicate otherwise."

So the council has laid out its plan - that's where the developers come in. 

Firstly developers interested in the land would apply for 'outline planning permission'. This is general permission for the land, to build a certain number of homes, to get them started. 

If they are successful with the outline planning, the developer would then apply for 'reserved matters' planning, to go through the details of the new homes.  But it's not always so simple. Sometimes the details aren't in line with the Deane's policies, such as number of affordable homes, so the decision gets delayed or rejected. 

In some cases, the council's planners reject the application as the land falls outside of the district's SADMP. 

Here's where it gets interesting. Land developers such as Gladman Land Ltd, offer opportunities to landowners on a 'no win no fee' basis. The company will entice landowners to sell their property if it can acquire planning permission for developments. Land with permission for housing development will sell for a lot more than land without. 

This is why the developer has recently applied for permission on sites in Rockwell Green, Creech St Michael, Wiveliscombe, and other areas around the borough despite the locations not being within the SADMP. 

Somerset County Gazette:

Land off North Street in Wiveliscombe under dispute. 

The argument for this is that the developer believe's Taunton Deane cannot meet it's housing target, despite the council insisting that it can deliver its five-year supply and that its planning policies remain relevant.

The council spokesman added: "Some development companies base their business model on promoting land for building outside of local plans because this land often is not already in the control of a house builder and does not often have a ‘hope value’ attached. 

"They can work with landowners on the basis that, if successful, the value of the land will increase significantly.

"The justification for bringing forward land for housing outside of the plan-making process is usually an argued lack of five year housing land supply.

"If a developer can prove that a five year supply of housing does not exist then some policies in the local plan would be considered out of date and national planning policy, which in many cases is more permissive, would take precedence."

If the application gets rejected, developers have a right to appeal the decision. 

Somerset County Gazette: RESTART: The appeal for land near to Bagley Road

Bagley Road in Rockwell Green, Wellington. 

TDBC and Gladman are currently undergoing an appeal for homes near Bagley Road, Rockwell Green, and one is due to start for homes in Wiveliscombe. 

The spokesman said: "Under the planning system in this country, developers have a statutory right of appeal to the Secretary of State if their planning applications are refused by the council. The decision as to whether to grant planning permission is then passed to an independent planning inspector appointed by the government who may hold a public inquiry. 

"While developers are perfectly entitled to challenge a refusal, it is undoubtedly time consuming and costly to the tax payer for Taunton Deane, or any other council, to defend such appeals."