MIDSOMER Norton councillor Shaun Hughes is hailing the exclusion of the north of the town from the Draft Local Plan as a success for residents.

His comments come after a proposal for 1,000 new homes was removed.

He warned however that the threat of large-scale development hadn’t disappeared, with discussions already taking place “around the possibility of 5,000 to 8,000 additional homes.”

Cllr Hughes said: “My hope now is that BANES Council and housing developers will engage with our communities rather than dictate to them, and work with us to find housing solutions that genuinely put local people and our communities at the heart of future planning.”

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Matt McCabe, responded: “Land north of Midsomer Norton was consulted on as an option for around 1,000 homes in the autumn 2025 consultation.

“It is not proposed to allocate the site for development in the Draft Local Plan because the cost of transport infrastructure to support the site for this amount of development is high, and we have not been able to source funding at present, making it unproceedable currently.

“The wider area to the north of the town is referenced in the Plan for exploration for potential longer-term growth through the WECA Spatial Development Strategy.”