New Crewkerne homes pushed forward by Supreme Court ruling

Taylor Wimpey is currently constructing the Wool Gardens development on the eastern edge of Crewkerne, 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 force on Station Road until August 31 to allow work on the new access road to be finished.

Under the detailed planning consent, none of the homes within the northern part of the site can 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 has been allowed to remove this mitigation - meaning that construction on these homes can proceed much more quickly.

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

The Supreme Court ruling followed a lengthy legal battle between the council and C. G. Fry and Sons regarding the Jurston Fields development in Wellington, a stone's throw from junction 26 of the M5.

The original Natural England legal advice, issued in August 2020, required all developments within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area to provide additional phosphate mitigation - a decision which has left around 12,000 homes in limbo.

However, the Supreme Court ruled in October 2025 that sites which secured outline planning consent before this advice was issued would not have to provide additional mitigation as part of the reserved matters stage.

This decision has not only allowed work at the Jurston Fields site to proceed (with plans for the remaining 335 homes currently being considered), but has also unlocked other housing developments across Somerset - including 35 homes on Lyndhurst Grove in Martock and 28 homes on Head Street in Tintinhull.

Council solicitor Martin Evans confirmed that such a change could be implemented for the Wool Gardens estate in a letter to Taylor Wimpey's land and planning director Richard Harrison, which was published on the council's official planning portal.

Mr Evans said: "Phosphate mitigation planning conditions were imposed upon two reserved matters approvals at the Crewkerne Key Site.

"In light of the Supreme Court judgement, it has been made clear that the council was not legally entitled to impose such conditions.

Construction entrance to the Wool Gardens estate on the A356 Station Road in Crewkerne, pictured in April 2026 (Image: Daniel Mumby)

"Accordingly, we can confirm that the council will not seek to enforce either condition on either reserved matters approval.

"Given that the two conditions are legally unenforceable, our planning officers consider that they could be removed from the reserved matters approvals."

Under the current planning permission, Taylor Wimpey can deliver up to 110 homes on the northern site before further phases of the development have to be approved - with a separate application for the remaining 415 homes being currently under consideration.