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Search the Public Notice PortalA major housing estate near Taunton will soon benefit from a convenience store and other shops after plans were approved.
Hallam Land Management secured outline planning permission on appeal in February 2023 to deliver up to 80 new homes and a takeaway outlet on land north of Dene Road in Cotford St. Luke, to the north-west of Somerset's county town.
The site was subsequently sold to Lovell Homes, which is currently constructing the new homes (within what has been dubbed The Oaks estate) after detailed plans were approved in April 2025.
Hallam Land Management has now secured detailed permission for the employment element of the site, with Somerset Council signing off on plans for a convenience store and three other employment units within the 'local centre' - which could ultimately include a restaurant, a takeaway outlet and a hair salon.
The new shops will be delivered near the entrance of the development site, with four units being delivered across two single-storey buildings.
The convenience store - whose intended operator has not been made public - would comprise 3,000 sq ft of retail space, with the remaining units providing nearly 3,000 sq ft of further space between them.
A total of 18 car parking spaces will be provided near the convenience store (including two disabled bays and two charging bays for electric vehicles), which will be accessed from the existing estate roads.
A spokesperson for Nexus Planning (representing the applicant) said: "The layout, scale, appearance and landscaping [of this scheme] will achieve an attractive, well-designed development which will positively contribute to the future character and amenities of the surrounding area."
The development is expected to generate up to 20 local jobs, depending on the identity of the firms which end up occupying the units.
The council approved these plans through the delegated powers of its planning officers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee west (which handles major applications within the former Somerset West and Taunton area).
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Planning officer Anthony Pick said: "The proposal comprises four commercial units arranged across two single-storey buildings, together with parking, servicing and associated public realm, intended to serve the day-to-day needs of the wider residential development at Cotford St. Luke.
"The proposed development is consistent with the requirements of the outline
permission, including the provision of a local centre within the approved parameter plans and within the prescribed floorspace limits."
Construction on the new units is expected to begin before Christmas.
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