Crown Estate & Taylor Wimpey deny M5 'garden village' claims

The Crown Estate sold the developer around 1,100 acres of land within the Orchard Portman Estate in 2018, primarily comprising land to the east of Taunton Racecourse in the parishes of Orchard Portman and Stoke St. Mary.

The site was subsequently put forward during the 'call for sites' for the new Somerset Local Plan, with Taylor Wimpey arguing it could deliver a new 'garden village' of around 7,000 south of the M5.

Taunton resident David Orr wrote to the Crown Estate asking for its board to review this sale, arguing that taxpayers could miss out on millions of pounds if the land is developed and increases in value.

Both the Crown Estate and Taylor Wimpey have insisted that the sale was above board, with the former stating that the sale price for the land had "exceeded expectations".

Masterplan of new town of 7,000 homes near Taunton Racecourse (Image: Taylor Wimpey)

Mr Orr is a former member of the Save the Blackdown Vale campaign, which was formed in the wake of the first round of Local Plan consultation in a bid to stop Somerset Council from formally allocating the land for residential development.

Both the group and Mr Orr took issue with developing land so close to the Blackdown Hills national landscape (formerly area of outstanding natural beauty, or AONB), asserting that it would lead to "urban sprawl" and inflict permanent damage on the character of rural Somerset.

Mr Orr claimed in his request to the Crown Estate board that the sale had been completed without any form of "uplift clause" - whereby the developer would provide money to the Crown Estate (and therefore to the Treasury) if the land increased in value after it was purchased.

He said: "Of particular concern is the apparent absence of an effective overage or uplift provision entitling the public to a share of the enormous increase in land value that would follow the grant of planning permission.

"In my view, disposing of land with such substantial long-term development potential without adequately protecting the public’s interest was a serious professional and commercial failure."

Taunton resident David Orr at an executive committee meeting (Image: Somerset Council)

Mr Orr claimed that the potential loss to taxpayers was "at least £200m", based upon current agricultural prices, requiring "proper independent examination" as soon as possible.

He continued: "I am aware that KPMG previously reviewed the sale.

"However, that review appears to have concentrated principally on whether the transaction followed the Crown Estate’s internal governance procedures. In my view, its scope was inadequate.

"Compliance with an internal process does not establish that the transaction achieved proper value for the nation, adequately assessed development potential, protected future land value uplift, or properly considered the consequences for affected communities and the nationally protected landscape."

Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, has reported the matter to both the National Audit Office (NAO) and the public accounts committee (whose membership includes Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour).

Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington (Image: Harry Mockridge/Newsquest)

To date, neither organisation has formally responded, with Mr Amos expected to follow up the matter when parliament returns on October 11 after the conclusion of party conference season.

The Crown Estate said that the 2018 sale was part of a broader "strategic programme of rural land disposals" which had been approved by its board (a strategy which has since been altered), and that all appropriate professional advice and governance procedures had been followed.

A spokesperson said: "The sale at Orchard Portman was completed in 2018 and has already been subject to previous governance and review, including both an internal and a separate independent review.

"These reviews concluded no breaches of policy or procedure had occurred.

"The land was sold through a competitive market process and achieved a sale price that exceeded both expectations and book value at the time."

Taylor Wimpey has also vehemently denied any wrongdoing in relation to the sale, and said its proposed development would "directly benefit taxpayers and the community" by providing a range of local services, including new schools and a medical hub.

A spokesperson said: "We strongly refute any allegations of wrongdoing in relation to the land acquisition; it was a competitive, open-market sales process.

"An independent RICS investigation was conducted and found no material or actionable failings.

"We have set out a proposal for the Taunton Garden Village that includes around 7,000 modern, energy-efficient and sustainable homes to support significant demand for new homes in the area.

Artist's impression of new 'Taunton garden village' of 7,000 homes near Taunton Racecourse (Image: Taylor Wimpey)

"An illustrative plan was submitted to Somerset Council’s new Local Plan 'call for sites', which includes extensive community facilities - including primary and secondary schools, a healthcare hub, a dedicated active travel route into the town centre, commercial and office space and affordable homes.

"As with all our developments, we engage extensively with local stakeholders to understand their views and requirements.

"We remain committed to supporting the delivery of new homes where they are needed most and to working constructively with Somerset Council."