Plans for dozens of “inappropriate” new homes in a small village near Taunton have been roundly rejected by district councillors.

Hallam Land Management originally put forward plans in October 2021 to deliver 80 homes and a “local centre” on the north side of Dene Road in Cotford St. Luke, a few miles north-west of Somerset’s county town.

The developer put forward amended proposals in May 2022, providing more information about the layout of the homes and a planned orchard at the northern edge of the site.

A new access road north of Dene Road would have been created, near the existing junction with North Villas, with pedestrian access also being provided at the eastern end of Dene Road and near the existing homes on Manning Road.

Of the 80 homes planned for the site, 20 would have been affordable, meeting the council’s 25 per cent target for any new development of ten homes or more.

Local resident Stuart Berry told Somerset West and Taunton Council’s planning committee when it met in Taunton on Thursday afternoon (July 21) that approving the “inappropriate” development would have serious repercussions for both the village and the wider district.

He said: “The committee must acknowledge the wider significance of this application. Not only would you be approving an inappropriate development in an inappropriate area, but you would be accepting that you don’t have a five-year land supply.

“This would open you up to bad planning applications across the former Taunton Deane area. Think of the fields outside your own homes, and in your own wards, that could be next on a developer’s list.”

Kevin Hutson, who sits on Cotford St. Luke Parish Council, said building in this location would severely undermine the village’s character.

Councillor John Hassall, who represents Cotford St. Luke, said he was worried the new homes would lead to an increase in crashes on Dene Road and the nearby A358.

He said: “There’s a lousy bus service in the village – one every two hours. Another 80 houses means 160 people, so it’s either going to be 100-plus cars or a lot more people wanting public transport, or both.

“The road is quite dangerous; the top end is very busy on occasion, and there’s a couple of bends on it where, if you’ve got a lot more traffic, you’re likely to have more accidents.

“We’ve just had three accidents in the last 18 months on the section of the A358 where Taunton Road goes off down to that roundabout at Bishop’s Lydeard. This is quite a narrow road by comparison, and it does worry me.

“The county council’s highways officers seem to think you can have as many accidents as you like, so long as no-one gets killed. Once they get killed, it’s ‘oh, we must act’ or ‘we’ll think about acting’ – which isn’t good enough.”

The committee voted to throw out the plans, criticising the loss of green space and arguing the commercial element would threaten the existing heart of the village.