New flats to be built in Yeovil after three-year delay

Acorn Homes applied for permission for the scheme in 2020

Dozens of flats will be built in a town centre after the plans spent nearly three-and-a-half years "in limbo".

Taunton-based Acorn Homes applied in August 2020 to replace Grimsby Corner in Yeovil with a block of 48 flats.

A decision was delayed by the phosphates crisis, with planning officers struggling to prevent damage to the Somerset Levels and Moors.

Somerset Council has now approved the scheme, so construction work could begin before the end of the year.

Grimsby Corner lies between Earle Street and Wyndham Street at the eastern edge of the town centre, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Under the agreed plans, numbers 18 to 21 Wyndham Street will be demolished and replaced with a six-storey block, comprising 42 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom flats.

A vehicular access will be maintained onto Earle Street, with five parking spaces and 54 cycle spaces being provided within the site. The main entrance will face onto Reckleford.

Not affordable

Due to viability issues surrounding the site, none of the new flats will be affordable and the development will not make any financial contributions towards local sports or play facilities.

The plans were approved by the delegated powers of the council's planning officers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee south.

Linda Hayden, one of the council's principal planning specialists, said the need to provide new one and two-bedroom homes was significant enough to grant permission in spite of these issues.

She said: "The South Somerset Local Plan designates Yeovil as a strategically significant town, which is the prime focus for development in south Somerset, and as such the development is considered acceptable in principle.

"The development of the site respects the character of the area with no demonstrable harm to highway safety, protected species, heritage assets, flood risk or residential amenity."

The development is one of more than 50 site which have been held up by the ongoing phosphates crisis, meaning more than 5,200 new homes have been unable to begin construction while the council clears the backlog.

To mitigate any rise in phosphates from this site, Acorn Homes will install water saving measures within each flat to reduce the daily output.