A campaign has been launched against plans for 380 homes on the outskirts of Yeovil, with opponents warning that the proposed development could destroy a nationally important Civil War battlefield.
Plans submitted by Pad Design Ltd on behalf of Hallam Land would create a residential development and country park on land off Compton Road. Comments on the application are open until October 20.
Campaigners say historic landscape is at risk
History enthusiast Stephen Burden, a founder of the English Civil War Society, is leading the campaign. It is backed by the Battlefields Trust and other supporters, who are calling for the plans to be scrapped.
Mr Burden says the land is historically significant because it was the site of the Battle of Babylon Hill on September 7, 1642, during the English Civil War. The battle took place near the proposed housing site.
He said about 7,000 armed men gathered in Yeovil and attacked 1,000 fighters from Sherborne in what he described as a “horrific” battle. The Royalist commander, Sir Ralph Hopton, left an account of the fighting which Mr Burden said can still be followed through the fields outside the town.
Although the battle was not among the largest actions of the war, Mr Burden said its outcome had wider consequences. The Royalists had seized Sherborne Castle and were then besieged by a Parliamentarian army based in Yeovil before the two sides clashed at Babylon Hill.
He argued that a Royalist victory could have allowed them to seize the West Country, which instead became the setting for five years of fighting.
Monument marks the 1642 battle
The English Civil War Society erected a monument at the site in 1992 to mark the 350th anniversary of the conflict. Campaigners say the battlefield should be preserved, studied and explained to the public rather than covered by new construction.
Mr Burden acknowledged that new housing is needed, but questioned whether it should be built on a historic heritage landscape. He also said the Civil War had a lasting effect on western democracy, language, politics and laws.
People wishing to comment on the application can do so through the Dorset Council website by searching for planning reference P/OUT/2026/04250. The consultation deadline is October 20.
