Work on 295 new Chard homes could begin in early-2027

McTaggart & Mickel Homes England Ltd. and the S. E. Blackburn Discretionary Trust jointly secured outline planning permission in November 2024 to deliver 295 homes between Crimchard and Thorndun Park Drive, along with a new stadium for Chard Town Football Club (replacing its existing sloping pitch on Zembard Lane).

The site has since been sold to Taylor Wimpey, which has submitted revised proposals (known as a reserved matters application) for the same number of homes, as well as providing a time-scale for their delivery.

Somerset Council is expected to make a ruling on these amended plans by the autumn - meaning construction on the new homes could begin in February 2027 if approval is granted.

The delivery of the new stadium, however, may not begin until mid-2028 - meaning the club's relocation may not happen until the 2029-30 season.

Revised plans for 295 homes and new Chard Town FC stadium on Thorndun Park Drive in Chard (Image: Grainge Architects)

The site lies between the Blackdown Heights estate (comprising 142 houses delivered by Barratt Homes) and the neighbouring hamlet of Cuttiford's Door, a short distance from Chard Garden Centre.

The main vehicular access will be from Thorndun Park Drive near Bartletts Park Garage, with informal pedestrian access being provided onto Cuttisford Door and Crimchard (through the upgrading of existing public rights of way).

The homes will be concentrated in two parcels - one in the west (which will also include allotments, an orchard and a children's play are) and one in the east (which will include a play area for older children and two community football pitches (one of which can be used by Chard Town FC for training).

The homes will range from one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses, with 35 per cent being affordable in line with the outline planning consent - the equivalent of 103 properties.

The new flood-lit stadium will be delivered in the centre of the site alongside a clubhouse and its own dedicated car park - with a "neighbourhood centre" being provided alongside, which could include a small shop or community hub.

Phasing plan for delivery of 295 homes (white), new Chard Town FC stadium (yellow) and local facilities (purple) (Image: Woolf Bond Planning)

A spokesperson for Woolf Bond Planning (representing Taylor Wimpey) said; "This reserved matters application results in an entirely acceptable form of development, consistent with the parameters established at the outline stage, providing for a well-designed scheme reflecting the character of the local area."

Taylor Wimpey is currently delivering the Wool Gardens estate in Crewkerne, with construction currently proceeding on a new signal-controlled junction which will connect the new houses to the A356 Station Road.

The company is also part of a consortium delivering the Orchard Grove development on the western edge of Taunton - with plans recently being submitted for the new Hortsbridge Park within the centre of the estate.

Under the plans, the first phase of the development will focus on the residential elements of the site, with construction aiming to begin in February 2027 and lasting until late-2033.

This phase will also include the delivery of all roads through the estate, walking and cycling links and the new community pitches - with these latter elements beginning construction from October 2026 if approval is granted.

Under the outline legal agreements, the new play areas must be completed before 25 per cent of the new homes have been built and occupied, with all pedestrian and cycle links and the community pitches being in place before 50 per cent of the homes are finished.

The second phase will focus on the new stadium and associated facilities, with work expected to begin by June 2028 - meaning work should be completed by the 2029/30 season at the latest.

The third and final phase, from July 2028, will deliver the local centre and remaining public open space - with the developer aiming to deliver the former before 100 homes have been built and occupied.

Planned site of 295 homes and Chard Town FC stadium, looking west, pictured in December 2023 (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the plans by the autumn.

Due to the scale and significance of the plans, such a decision is likely to be taken in public by its planning committee south (which handles major applications within the former South Somerset area), rather than through the delegated powers of its planning officers.

The detailed designs of both the new stadium and the local centre will be subject to separate planning applications, which will be submitted later in the year.