Housing plan moves closer after wetlands approved

The construction of hundreds of homes has moved a step closer after plans for new wetlands were approved.

Somerset Council has given the go ahead for the wetlands to help offset phosphates from the Staplegrove urban extension in Taunton, which will include more than 1,600 homes, employment land and a primary school.

The building of more than 700 homes to the western half of the site, between the A358 Staplegrove Road and Taunton Road, is due to start shortly, while the wetlands will be created on Corkscrew Lane in the eastern half.

The project was given outline planning permission in 2017 but a series of issues including viability and phosphate pollution has delayed progress.

Concerns were raised in December 2022 about whether wetlands would be enough to cope with the phosphates from the amount of homes being planned.

Former Staplegrove councillor Rod William told the then Somerset West and Taunton Council's planning committee the wetlands would only offset 10.6% of the entire development.

However, council major projects officer for planning, Simon Fox, said it "would in time" provide enough phosphate mitigation for the west site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Now another wetland will be built on Corkscrew Lane to offset phosphates created by the new homes on the eastern half of the site.

Somerset Council recently received new legal advice, which stated that Wessex Water's removal of phosphates from its major treatment plants could be counted as sufficient mitigation to deliver about 12,000 Somerset homes currently in limbo.

The council is expected to publish a revised policy on phosphate mitigation in the autumn.

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