Clinton Rogers: Can Somerset cope with all this new housing?

I think my family are getting bored of me saying the same thing as I drive past seemingly endless new housing developments across Somerset.

But I do wonder.

Birth rates are falling across the UK.

In 2024, the figure hit a new low, after falling for three consecutive years in a row.

It prompted the then-education secretary to call for more Britons to have more children sooner, warning of the "worrying repercussions" of declining fertility rates.

On the face of it, fewer babies might suggest less long-term pressure for housing.

Yet the reality is more complicated.

People are living longer, households are smaller, and many buyers continue to move into rural counties from larger cities.

The last part of that is certainly true in Somerset.

Our current population of around 580,000 is projected to increase by 7.6 per cent by 2036 – that’s around 44,000 new people.

So, I guess the developers have done their homework.

Our county is expanding whether we like it or not.

Councils have consistently argued that thousands of new homes are needed to meet demand, support economic growth, and help younger residents get onto the housing ladder.

Based on the statistics, they may be right.

The question is, can our current infrastructure cope?

Try asking the many Somerset residents who already struggle to find NHS dentists or timely GP appointments.

I can imagine the reply you’ll get!

The debate has come into sharp focus recently, following warnings from health planners about overstretched services.

At Wellington Medical Centre, officials have admitted the practice cannot take on any more patients after absorbing thousands from the closure of the neighbouring Luson Surgery.

And NHS Somerset has said new housing developments could "put people at risk" unless GP facilities are expanded, warning that waiting times and access to care could worsen if patient numbers continue to rise.

Planning authorities often point to Section 106 Agreements as a solution to infrastructure concerns.

These legal agreements require developers to contribute funding toward community facilities, such as school places, roads, affordable housing, and sometimes healthcare provision, as part of planning permission.

In Wellington, for example, developers have been asked to contribute more than £125,000 towards expanding GP capacity as part of proposed housing schemes.

Yet critics argue that these contributions rarely keep pace with the speed of development.

Surgeries, schools, and transport links can take years to expand, long after the first residents move in.

And not all developers fulfil their obligations in full.

So perhaps the question should be, not "where are all these people coming from", more "where will they go when they get a toothache or get struck down by the flu."