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Search the Public Notice PortalTaunton's largest development site will bear witness to significant changes in the next 12 months as hundreds of new homes are delivered.
The Orchard Grove development lies between the A38 Wellington Road in the Comeytrowe area of Taunton and Honiton Road in the neighbouring village of Trull.
The development is being delivered by the Orchard Grove Consortium (comprising Taylor Wimpey, Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and LiveWest), and will eventually comprise 2,000 homes.
A new primary school has already been delivered within the site, with construction currently under way on commercial space, a care home and a 'park and bus' facility at the western edge of the site.
The next 12 months will see additional homes delivered within the site, with Somerset Council currently considering two separate applications for a combined total of 208 houses.
Local residents will also find out in the coming months how central government funding will be used additional infrastructure within the site - possibly including the remainder of Egremont Road, which forms the main road through the development site.
Around 350 homes have already been completed within the 'western neighbourhood', which runs from the roundabout on Wellington Road to the primary school.
The latest plans will see a further two parcels of land development either side of Egremont Road to the west of Lipe Hill Line - which has been closed to traffic to create a safe walking and cycling route to the primary school for those living on or near Comeytrowe Lane.
The larger of the two plans, put forward by Taylor Wimpey, will see 164 homes built either side of the spine road, ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses.
Within this parcel, 27 per cent of the homes will be affordable (the equivalent of 45 properties), with the developer securing grant funding from Homes England to "subsidise the delivery of additional affordable housing" above the levels agreed when the outline planning permission was granted.
The smaller of the two proposals, put forward by LiveWest, will see 44 homes delivered south of the main road, bordered by the southern section of Lipe Hill Lane (which remains open to vehicles).
This parcel will include 27 affordable homes (the equivalent of 61 per cent), ranging from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom town-houses.
Much of the delivery of the Orchard Grove site has been delayed by the ongoing phosphates crisis, wherein developers are required to provide additional mitigation to prevent any net increase in phosphates on the Somerset Levels and Moors.
The 'western neighbourhood' of Orchard Grove has to date largely been brought forward by fallowing land within the 'eastern neighbourhood'.
To unlock these latest homes, the developers plan to purchase phosphate credits generated from elsewhere within the River Tone catchment area (e.g. through the fallowing of agricultural land).
The council's climate and place scrutiny committee is expected to announce possible changes to phosphate mitigation policies in Taunton on Thursday (December 15), following recent legal advice and the Supreme Court's ruling in October on the Jurston Fields development in the neighbouring town of Wellington.
A significant portion of land either side of Egremont Road will be left vacant to allow the delivery of a "local centre" - which Taunton and Wellington MP Gideon Amos has been pushing to include a new medical centre (alongside shops and other useful amenities).
Mr Amos wrote to housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook MP in August 2025, asking the government to support a medical hub, a secondary school and the completion of Egremont Road.
Speaking at the time, he said: "The government has rightly stated that delivery is key. If the government is serious about unlocking housing and accelerating delivery, then funding must follow the ambition.
"Somerset Council, which had to find an extra £70m last year just to fund care for adults and children, lacks the financial means to fund these capital works.
"If the government can fund the delivery of this essential infrastructure as part of its commitment to unlock development and support growth in our area, then I and our local councillors are ready and willing to work in partnership to deliver at scale and pace."
The secondary school is estimated to cost around £55m to deliver, against £5m to finish Egremont Road and £4m for the new health hub.
The Orchard Grove Consortium said that it would be open to a local health facility being provided within the 'local centre', stating it would be "a highly positive addition to the community with clear and significant benefits to current and future residents".
To date, no planning application has been submitted for the health centre, which would need to be commissioned by the NHS Somerset integrated care board (ICB) - following a similar process to the new GP surgery being planned in North Petherton.
The ICB stated in mid-August 2025 that it had been having "preliminary discussions" with the College Way surgery about expanding its premises, and it was "willing to explore and discuss" options for the Orchard Grove site.
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced in September 2025 that it would provide funding to unlock further infrastructure within the Orchard Grove site as part of its new homes accelerator fund.
The site was the only one in the south west to secure money from this fund, which was created after Labour's general election victory in July 2024 to "address challenges that were holding back development on large consented sites across the country".
No further details have yet been released on how much funding has been allocated or how it will be spent, with the council stating in September that it was in "the very early stages of engagement with government" on this matter.
Away from major infrastructure, the Orchard Grove consortium said that 2026 would see further green spaces and community facilities delivered within the site to benefit both new and existing residents.
A spokesperson said: "We’re pleased to confirm that the 'civic square' has now opened for public use.
"Work will continue in the coming weeks with artwork installation scheduled for the new year, along with the installation of benches to create a welcoming community space at the heart of the development.
"Significant improvements have been made to create better connections across the site.
"All fencing along the cycle path between the civic park and the park and ride has been moved back, opening up the route and improving accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
"The fencing around the park and ride itself has also been removed, creating a much better entrance to the site and an improved street scene for residents and visitors.
"Please note that while these improvements have been made, the park and bus car park remains closed until it is formally adopted.
"These changes mark an important milestone in creating a more open and connected development for the community."
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