PROPOSALS for up to 35 new canalside homes in a village near Taunton have been submitted to planners.

West of England Developments (Taunton) No 2 Ltd wants to construct the homes in a 7.5-acre field on the western edge of Creech St Michael.

If it gets the go ahead from Somerset West and Taunton Council, the housing scheme would be immediately west of Derham Close, which was completed some five years ago.

The proposals for the site beside the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal are not detailed as West of England is simply applying for outline permission at this stage.

A report accompanying the application says a previous outline planning application for 35 homes on the site was refused in 2015.

It adds: "The current transition from development to open countryside is harsh, formed only by a single hedgerow in close proximity to existing houses.

"A new development in this location could therefore form a distinct and definite edge to the settlement and better integrate the entire western edge of the village into the surrounding countryside."

The development would "follow garden town principles, providing extensive areas of open space, planting and green infrastructure", the report says.

It adds: "The design proposals will create a high quality and attractive neighbourhood, provide needed housing for local people, and establishes a much improved integration of the western edge of Creech St Michael into its countryside setting."

"The layout has a focus on utilising shared spaces as streets where vehicles will share the space with cyclists and pedestrians.

"Well surveyed parking courts which provide either garaging or car ports create more opportunity for

dwellings to front the streets in an uninterrupted manner, creating opportunity for interesting mews style streets which help with placemaking.

"Moving out from the denser centre of the layout towards the north, east and southern edges, the density is reduced to soften the impact of the built mass on views into the site.

"This spacing allows for more green buffering between dwellings and the frontage of all the properties on the edge onto the open space will create attractive areas that are well surveyed.

"Bungalows are used on the eastern edge to further reduce the impact of the built form."