Introduction

A sustainable neighbourhood for North Petherton

Barwood Land is proposing a new, sustainable neighbourhood of around 250 new homes and over 11ha of open space at land to the west of Shovel Lane in North Petherton, Somerset.

These new homes will be supported by substantial landscaping and infrastructure improvements to create a well-connected, attractive and vibrant neighbourhood.

We want you to help us shape the plans. We want to know what you think.

Your feedback will be invaluable as we refine the proposals, prior to the submission of a planning application for the site.

​​​​​​​Why do we need new homes?

There’s a recognised need for new, good quality homes in Somerset.

A proper home is so important. Without quality housing, people struggle to participate positively in society.

Amongst many benefits, the link between housing and health has long been recognised. It has been estimated that it costs the NHS around £1.4 billion a year to treat people affected by poor housing. It is also estimated that the full economic cost to society of leaving people in poor quality housing is £18.5 billion a year. This is in addition to the obvious significant social costs of poor housing and homelessness.

The land is not presently allocated for housing. Development in this area is currently guided by the Sedgemoor Local Plan 2011-2032, but as the Plan is now more than 5 years old and the Council has not sought to review it, the policies are considered to be out of date by national planning policy. Further Somerset Council is unable to demonstrate an adequate supply of housing, which means that under national planning policy a presumption in favour of sustainable development comes into force whether it has been previously allocated or not.

Consequently, as a new Local Plan is many years away from being adopted, developments such as this are required to meet the Council’s housing requirement. This does not mean that other planning policies that protect residents from the impacts of development are overridden. These potential impacts and mitigation measures are discussed under ‘key considerations’.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Site

Extending to around 17.7 hectares, the site is located on the western edge of North Petherton, bordered by Cliff Road, Oak Lodge and Shovel Lane. It is located just north of a live planning application for 190 dwellings which was submitted by LVA in January 2026.

The site itself comprises 6 field parcels of agricultural land bounded by mature hedgerows interspersed with trees.

The site is a short walk from North Petherton and its array of services including a convenience store, surgery, post office, school, rugby club (with Gym), football club, play park and a variety of pubs, restaurants and takeaway establishments. It is also served by bus services which provide a regular service to Bridgwater, Burnham-On-Sea and Taunton, making it a sustainable location for growth.

The land’s existing landscape features, including hedgerows can be protected, with the opportunity to form a robust and attractive landscape framework to provide further modest expansion to the town and much needed new homes.

​​​​​​​The proposals at a glance

Barwood Land is proposing to submit an Outline planning application which will:

• Deliver up to 250 New & Affordable Homes comprising a range of new house types, sizes and tenures that will meet identified local housing needs, including the provision of 30% affordable housing.
• Create new areas of public open space, of varying character that are accessible and available for the whole community to use.
• Retain, protect and enhance the vast majority of existing hedgerows and trees and their key view corridors, providing a strong landscape framework to shape the development. A new community orchard is also proposed.
• Reflect and celebrate local character and distinctiveness and a form of development that knits seamlessly into, and forms a cohesive part of the settlement, that has a strong sense of place.
• Deliver sustainable urban drainage features that are sensitively designed and will integrate into and form part of the informal areas of open space, in line with national and local requirements to serve the development and ensure the risk of flooding will not increase within the site or elsewhere.
• Create new pedestrian and cycle routes that will provide safe and convenient connections between the site, the town, leisure opportunities and the wider countryside.

Key Considerations ​​​​​​​

The design work by Barwood Land’s appointed professional team has been guided by a wide range of technical studies and assessments covering all key matters.

This in-depth analysis has identified a number of considerations and opportunities that have informed the scheme proposals. The creation of the illustrative masterplan will ensure a scheme which is both appropriate for the site and crucially, is deliverable in the short-term and underpins the outline planning application.

This work has identified a number of key considerations which are discussed below.

​​​​​​​Access and Connections

North Petherton is considered to be a sustainable and suitable location for new residential development. The site is also considered to be highly sustainable being well related both local services, facilities and employment opportunities and to existing built development and not being subject to any particular environmental or physical constraints.

Vehicular access into the site is proposed from the A38, as shown on the detailed plan above. The proposed access would change the priority of the Shovel Lane/A38 triangle, such that access to the development from the A38 becomes the main route, with Shovel Lane accessed via the site’s new entrance arrangement.

There are also opportunities on the north and north east boundaries of the site to provide additional pedestrian and cycle connections into the town via existing footways. The site is within 250m of the town centre and its many services and facilities. Bus connections are also available within 450m of all parts of the site.

​​​​​​​Heritage and Archaeology

Grade II listed properties are located on the northern boundary of the site at Cliff Road and to the west, at Oak Lodge. Further listed buildings are located within the town centre to the north east.

A heritage assessment was undertaken which has guided the proposed masterplan. To minimise any harm to heritage assets, development buffers to the north west, west and south west boundaries are proposed to reduce impact to their setting. In technical terms, any impacts are limited to ‘less that substantial harm’ and are therefore not considered to be a barrier to the development as proposed under national planning policy.

In terms of below ground heritage, survey work is ongoing which will determine the significance of any archaeological remains at the site.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Landscape Impact

Landscape impact has been a key consideration from the outset of the evolving masterplan process. The masterplan has been landscape-led with strategic buffers proposed on higher ground to the west of the site and the exclusion of development from the more prominent field to the south of Oak Lodge (lane). Historic field boundaries will also be retained within the development where practical​​​​​​​

The site is not subject to any specific landscape designations. Whilst it is recognised that the development will impact the immediate character of the site, the development would be seen from the wider area in the context of the existing residential development to the east.

Any potential landscape impact will be appropriately mitigated through the design of the proposed development with significant new planting and open areas with no development on the most sensitive parts of the site. As such new development could be accommodated within the site without significant landscape or visual impacts.

​​​​​​​Trees and Hedgerows

All trees and hedges have been surveyed in order that appropriate root protection buffers can be incorporated to the most important and sensitive trees. There are no standalone trees within the fields that would be affected by the development.

Hedgerows contained within the site will be retained where possible and buffered to prevent adverse impacts on any protected species which may be present on the site. The proposed development will include the delivery of at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.

​​​​​​​Flood Risk and Drainage

The Environment Agency’s (EA) ‘Flood Risk from Rivers or Sea’ mapping shows that the entirety of the site is within Flood Zone 1 (the lowest risk of flooding).

The EA’s ‘Flooding from Surface Water’ mapping shows the entirety of the site to be at ‘very low risk’ of flooding form surface water, with less than 0.1% chance of flooding each year.

The proposed surface water drainage scheme for the site comprises the inclusion of attenuation basins primarily on the eastern extent of the site in accordance with the requirements of the Local Lead Flood Authority. This ensures that the development would not result in flooding elsewhere.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Ecology

Ecological surveys have been undertaken in accordance with best practice guidance and following consultation with Somerset Council regarding survey methodology and scope.

The fields themselves are actively farmed and offer limited habitats for protected species. However, the surveys have found some evidence of limited dormouse and Great Crested Newts activity on or near the site. A single grass snake was also recorded on site and bats have been shown to use the hedgerows for foraging.

The surveying undertaken to date reveals no ecological factors that would halt the proposed development of this site. All potential impacts can be appropriately mitigated through a combination of licensing, precautionary working methods, and habitat creation and enhancement measures. Subject to the implementation of standard mitigation and enhancement practices, it is considered that ecological impacts associated with the development can be suitably avoided or mitigated, with opportunities for biodiversity enhancement also possible.

The Scheme

As the application is being submitted in outline, matters such as the detailed design of the layout, as well as the precise number, types and appearance of the houses and the site landscaping scheme will be determined at a later stage and will all need to be submitted to Somerset Council for approval.

A concept plan has been developed following a landscape-led design approach and this can be seen below. This includes landscape buffering along the western edge of the site, with the built development focused within the eastern portion, closest to the existing town. Extensive technical work has been carried out to demonstrate the suitability of the proposed development. On this basis, the scheme is now at a stage where an outline planning application can be progressed.

The key principles of the scheme proposals are outlined below. In addition, a series of documents and drawings are provided in the downloads section of this website in order to provide further information

NEW HOMES

• The total number of new homes will not exceed 250
• Houses will not exceed 2 ½ storeys in height. In order to further minimise landscape and visual impact, development heights will be limited to 1.5 storey houses on the southern edge, which will further broaden the proposed housing mix.
• 30% of the new homes will be affordable, in line with the Council’s housing policy, with a mix of house types and sizes, that is likely to comprise 2,3,4 and possibly 5-bedroom homes, which will take into consideration identified local needs.

​​​​​​​OPEN SPACE

• Due to the provision of strategic landscape buffers, c. 11.2ha of the 17.7ha site will be left as green space. The equates to 64% of the site forming areas of public open space. This land, which will include a community orchard and play area, will be publicly accessible and properly managed and maintained in perpetuity.

​​​​​​​ACCESS AND CONNECTIVITY

• The main vehicular access into the site will be via the A38.
• The proposed access would change the priority of the Shovel Lane/A38 triangle, such that access to the development from the A38 becomes the main route, with Shovel Lane accessed via the site’s new entrance arrangement.
• Pedestrian and cycle access will be achieved to the north and east of the site, providing sustainable connections to the town and its many services and facilities.
• The site is also well connected to existing bus stops, which are within a short 450m walk of all parts of the site.

​​​​​​​SUSTAINABILITY AND CONSERVATION

• A sustainable and energy efficient design which supports the climate change agenda, a focus on well-designed open spaces, energy efficient new homes, a sustainable drainage design and a sustainable edge of village location where people can easily (and will be encouraged to) walk, cycle and use public transport to access employment, shops and other services and facilities.
• Sustainable urban drainage features sensitively designed to integrate and form part of the informal areas of open space, in line with national and local requirements to serve the development and ensure the risk of flooding will not increase within the site or elsewhere.
• Measures to deliver and secure the long-term protection and enhancement of ecological habitats within the site, including the existing trees and hedgerows.
• Biodiversity Net Gain, likely to be in excess of the minimum legislative 10% requirement.

​​​​​​​A HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

• Whilst an outline planning application, we are committed to securing the delivery of a high-quality development that respects, reflects and celebrates North Petherton’s distinctive character and identity and that it has a strong sense of place and belonging as a cohesive part of the town.
• As part of this application, to guarantee and give the community confidence that the quality of development outlined will be delivered, a series of design principles will be proposed at this stage to ensure that those principles must be carried through at the detailed design (reserved matters) application stage and thereafter delivered.
• Those design principles will be outlined in the Design and Access Statement that will form part of the planning application that is submitted.

​​​​​​​INVESTMENT

• Increased expenditure from construction activity, and from new residents of the scheme, to help support existing shops, services and facilities.
• Funding of improvements needed to local community and social infrastructure, such as schools, GP practices and roads as a result of the development to be secured by a Section 106 legal agreement.

​​​​​​​What’s Next

Please take time to review the detailed proposals in the download section and provide any comments by the 6 July 2026 to the following email address: planning.exeter@carneysweeney.co.uk

In terms of Barwood Land’s next steps, following this public consultation, the team will review all comments received and undertake any amendments to the scheme which are required. Following this, it is likely that an outline planning application will be submitted to Somerset Council in summer 2026.

​​​​​​​Further Information

A series of documents and drawings are provided in order to give further information. These are as follows.

• Site Location Plan
• Opportunities and Constraints Plan
• Illustrative Masterplan
• Masterplan Concept Rational document
• Combined Land Use and Height Parameter Plan

Any personal information provided as part of this consultation will be managed in accordance with our privacy policy.​​​​​​​