525 new Crewkerne homes approved by Somerset Council

Taylor Wimpey is currently constructing the Wool Gardens development on the eastern edge of the town, which will eventually comprise 635 homes, a 66-bed care home, commercial space and a relief road between the A30 Yeovil Road and the A356 Station Road.

Construction on 110 homes at the southern end of the site is now largely complete, with temporary traffic lights being in place outside Wadham School until late-April 2027 to allow the northern access point to be delivered.

The council's planning officers have now given the go-ahead for the remaining 525 homes within the site, allowing construction to move forward at pace.

The site will include a new local centre, which could include a convenience store and café, near the spine road which will join the A30 Yeovil Road at a new signalised junction.

Plans for 525 homes within phase two of the Crewkerne Key Site (Image: LHC Design)

The spine road will extend through the site, bend south alongside dedicated 'parklands' near the Viney Brook and join up with the southern end of the development, providing a relief route around the town centre.

Land for a primary school will remain allocated within the site - though the council is unlikely to bring this forward in the near-future following its reforms to the Crewkerne and Ilminster school system in September 2022.

A total of 33 affordable homes will be delivered in the northern half of the development, along with new play areas and attenuation ponds at the north-eastern corner to mitigate the risk of localised flooding.

A spokesperson for Copperfield (representing the developer) said: "The applicant has worked for a number of years to support the delivery of these proposals, which include the A30 and A356 links.

"They are keen to commence development to support the delivery of market housing and affordable housing on a site which benefits from a phosphate mitigation solution."

Under the original detailed planning consent for the Crewkerne Key Site, none of the homes within the northern part of the site could be occupied until appropriate phosphate mitigation has been agreed between the developer and Somerset Council, in order to prevent further damage to the Somerset Levels and Moors.

But following a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court in October 2025, Taylor Wimpey was allowed to remove this mitigation - meaning that construction on these homes can proceed much more quickly.

The plans for the northern phase were approved by the council's planning officers through their delegated powers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee south (which handles contentious applications within the former South Somerset area).

The decision was delegated to officers in light of Crewkerne Town Council not lodging any formal objections - with fewer decisions on reserved matters applications being taken by committees after Hallowe'en following changes in UK planning law.

Principal planning officer Tim Marsh said: "The principle of residential development, including the suitability of the site for housing, the means of vehicular access, the scale of development, provision of affordable housing, public open space, drainage strategy and associated mitigation measures,
have already been established.

Plans showing relationship between the two phases of the Crewkerne Key Site (Image: LHC Design)

"Following revisions made during the course of the application, the scheme is now acceptable in terms of place-making, landscaping, design, public realm and the relationship between the built form and green infrastructure.

"The detailed design and layout are also considered to provide satisfactory living conditions for both future occupiers and neighbouring residents.

"Adequate separation distances, landscaping, retention of boundary vegetation and the siting and orientation of dwellings ensure that the development would not result in unacceptable overlooking, loss of privacy or other material harm to residential amenity."