A PLANNING application has been submitted to demolish 136 council homes and to build 111 new properties in north Taunton.

The proposals submitted on behalf of Somerset West and Taunton Council will be decided on by the authority's own councillors.

The plans are for Woolaway homes on land between Dorchester Road and Lyngford Lane.

The application has been able to bypass curbs put on certain new developments over fears they could add to phosphate pollution on the Somerset Levels and Moors.

A number of developers have seen project dry up as the council has been advised that any increase in bed spaces could results in more phosphates ending up on the Levels.

A report prepared for the council says: "For the sake of the remaining residents’ welfare and because access to affordable housing funding streams are time-limited, it is very important that the estate regeneration project does not lose momentum.

"Since this is a large brownfield site involving the replacement of existing dwellings over a number of years, a staggered approach to applications and phases is possible so that SWT will not need to grant permission for a net increase in bed spaces yet.

"Although the intention is an overall increase in dwellings across the estate over the course of all the permissions, the uplift in later stage phases will be in the future when a mitigation solution has been found.

"This allows for habitat regulations to be satisfied whilst allowing targets for funding streams and commencement dates for the proposed development to be met, as the proposals in this application do not involve an overall increase in bed spaces/population."

The report says the regeneration phases in the application will need result in "additional wastewater outputs and therefore phosphate loads" as there are no additional homes, bedrooms or floor space.

A further planning application for new homes will be submitted once the phosphates issue has been solved.

Full planning permission has already been granted for the first phase of the scheme, which features 47 homes, a community facility and landscaping. Work is due to start soon.

The final phase would see the refurbishment of existing SWT-owned Woolaway homes in the area.