Plans for a new housing development north of Yeovil have been changed after Somerset Council’s major applications committee approved the removal of a proposed constructed treatment wetland, prompting warnings from nearby communities about the possible effect on flooding.
The Mudford Sock site, north of the A359 Mudford Road, received outline planning permission in March 2024 for 252 homes. The original approval included a constructed treatment wetland at the northern end of the site. It was intended to provide a substantial green buffer and help offset a net increase in phosphates affecting the Somerset Levels and Moors.
The land was subsequently sold to Bloor Homes South West. The housebuilder submitted plans for the first phase of 109 homes, known as Oakmere Rise. Under the amended proposal, the wetlands area would instead become public open space, while more conventional sustainable urban drainage systems, or SUDS, would be used. These include attenuation ponds and reed-beds.
Why downstream communities are concerned
The change has raised concerns among groups downstream of the site, including the 3 Villages Flood Group, which represents Ashington, Chilton Cantelo and Mudford.
Duncan Woodward, speaking at the planning committee meeting on 29 July, said the Planning Inspectorate’s original approval treated the wetlands as important not only for phosphate mitigation but also for flood resilience. He criticised the planning officer’s narrower assessment, which acknowledged the loss of wider flood-defence benefits but, he said, did not provide evidence that the replacement drainage would deliver equivalent flood storage, attenuation and protection for communities downstream.
James Cary, chairman of the Friends of Mudford Action Group, compared the revisions with the “Trigger’s Broom” sequence from Only Fools and Horses, in which an object has been changed so extensively that questions arise over whether it remains the same thing.
“Without the bio-diverse habitat, how can this be the same scheme? Unlike Trigger’s broom, this is not a joke.”
Dawn Woodward, a Mudford resident and FOMAG member, said removing the wetlands undermined efforts to manage flooding in the River Yeo catchment. She said government mapping identified the site as having high potential for natural flood management.
Local monitoring carried out with the Yeovil Community Rivers Trust recorded rainfall levels about 37% higher than the average figures used in the developer’s drainage modelling, according to the concerns presented to the committee. Ms Woodward also pointed to other planned developments that would discharge surface water into the same network of ditches connected to Bearley Brook. She said the cumulative effect on downstream communities needed to be assessed rather than considering developments separately.
Robin Bowring of Mudford Parish Council said flooding was the community’s main concern and questioned how excess water would be managed if the wetlands were removed.
Support for the revised drainage plan
Bloor Homes South West representatives told the committee that, if the amended drainage plans were rejected, the company would return to the original wetland scheme without affecting other costs.
Some councillors supported the revised approach. Liberal Democrat councillor Mike Stanton, who also chairs the Somerset Rivers Authority board, said the new system would be more attractive to residents. Councillor Oliver Patrick highlighted a claimed biodiversity net gain of 20%, twice the required level, and said SUDS had a lower carbon footprint than artificial wetlands that relied on mechanical pumps.
Councillor Stephen Page of Somerton raised safety issues concerning children living on the new estate and the proposed drainage system. Planning officer Dawn de Vries told the committee that no unsafe proposals would be approved.
After around two hours of debate, the committee voted seven to three in favour of the amended plans, with one councillor abstaining.
What happens next
Decisions on both the first phase of the housing development and a separate application intended to speed up construction of a new access crossroads are expected before Christmas.
The development also has a potential planning-process complication. Under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, residential schemes of 150 homes or more that are refused locally can be escalated to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, potentially leading to an expensive public inquiry.
