PLANS to turn part of a former Somerset police station into new homes have been approved by councillors for a second time.
Taunton’s police station, on the corner of Shuttern and Burton Place in the town centre, closed its doors in December 2018, with officers relocating to a new front office in Deane House on Belvedere Road.
Exeter-based developer Photinia secured planning permission from Somerset West and Taunton Council in September 2020 to turn part of the complex – which dates back to its use as a jail in the 1750s – into six new houses, with access from Burton Place.
These plans have now been re-approved by Somerset Council after phosphate mitigation to offset the new homes was agreed.
Following the Dutch N court ruling, and the ensuing legal advice from Natural England, any new development within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area (which includes the whole of Taunton) must include additional mitigation to prevent any net increase in phosphate levels.
The council has been working with Defra, Wessex Water and other private companies to find solutions to the problem to unlock new housing, with 18,000 new homes across Somerset building held up – and the former Taunton Deane area being one of the worst affected by the delays.
Phosphate mitigation can take numerous forms – including the creation of new wetlands (e.g. at the Staplegrove urban extension), the fallowing of agricultural land (which will unlock 280 new homes in Street), or the purchasing of phosphate credits (where a developer pays for off-site mitigation).
In this instance, Photonia has agreed to purchase phosphate credits from the council, allowing it to redevelop the terrace at the eastern edge of the police station site (along Burton Place) into six properties.
Work has already begun on the site after listed building consent was granted in January 2021, with the properties being already marketed by Greenslade Taylor Hunt ahead of their completion.
One property on what will be called Wilton Terrace is already under offer, according to the estate agent’s website, with a guide price of £283,000.
The council’s planning committee west (which handles major applications in the former Somerset West and Taunton area) voted to re-approve the plans when it convened in Taunton on Tuesday afternoon (August 15).
Councillor Ross Henley (who represents the neighbouring Blackdown and Neroche division) said: “This is a perfectly sensible application, a relatively straightforward-looking conversion of a very old, redundant police station building into residential accommodation.
“Permission was granted almost three years ago and nothing has happened. I wholeheartedly support this, now we’ve found a solution to this.”
Councillor Andrew Sully (whose Lydeard division includes numerous villages to the north-west of Taunton) added: “I walked past this the other day – the buildings do look better now they’ve done the windows. I’m very supportive of this.”
The committee voted unanimously to approve the plans after less than 20 minutes’ debate.
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