Taylor Wimpey has confirmed it will submit proposals for approximately 7,000 homes as part of a new 'Taunton garden village' under the emerging Somerset Local Plan. The development, near Taunton Racecourse, will include safeguards for the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, with sections closest to the area protected from inappropriate development.
Background and land acquisition
The Somerset County Gazette reported in 2019 that the Crown Estate sold the 1,200-acre Orchard Portman estate, described as 'productive farmland,' to Taylor Wimpey for £12.5 million. The bulk of the site lies east of the racecourse, spanning the parishes of Orchard Portman, Stoke St Mary, and West Hatch. A small portion overlaps the Blackdown Hills boundary, wrapping around Netherclay and Thurlbear woodland.
Local Plan process and consultation
Somerset Council recently launched the initial public consultation on its new Local Plan, which will determine housing and employment allocations through to 2045. Taylor Wimpey submitted the site for consideration in February 2025 as part of the 'call for sites.' A draft vision was circulated to local parish councils in autumn 2025, receiving encouraging responses from Bishop Fox's School, King's College, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, and Somerset Chamber of Commerce.
The consultation runs until July 24, with a summary of responses due in early November. The second consultation round, including further site details, is expected in September 2027, and the final round in March 2028. If all proceeds smoothly, the Local Plan will be adopted on March 16, 2029.
Development details and safeguards
Taylor Wimpey has scaled back the original proposal from 9,000 to around 7,000 homes. A partial masterplan suggests features like a farm shop, amphitheatre, and woodland trail. The full masterplan includes a new primary and secondary school (with special needs provision), a healthcare hub, a neighbourhood hub with a dedicated mass transit route to the town centre, commercial and office space, affordable homes, and specialist children's homes.
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said: 'Our proposals for the new Taunton garden village include around 7,000 modern, energy-efficient and sustainable homes alongside schools, healthcare facilities, community spaces and infrastructure needed to create a self-sustaining community. We are working with a wide range of local stakeholders to shape the best version of this new community.'
Environmental and community concerns
Taunton resident David Orr condemned the plans in late June, arguing they would lead to unsustainable development near the racecourse and cause permanent harm to the Blackdown Hills. Taylor Wimpey has committed that more than half of the site will be retained as green space for sport, recreation, food growing, equestrian use, children's play, and biodiversity enhancement, with no homes built within the Blackdown Hills boundary.
