Forty new homes are set to be built next to Midsomer Norton’s new £10.9million primary school on Silver Street.

Backhouse Housing Ltd has secured approval for the greenfield site off Silver Street despite the Town Council’s concerns about a lack of parking.

Outline permission was granted in 2019 for up to forty homes, the recently opened 630-place Norton Hill Primary School, a sixty four-bed care home and fifteen age-restricted homes.

Plans are yet to be submitted for the care home or age-restricted properties.

Backhouse said in its application: “The scheme is designed to be lived in and to grow with its residents, to give a focus for the new community through a shared ownership of open spaces provided.

“Buildings are to be constructed from high quality, long lasting materials, with features such as a fabric first approach and systems that minimise water wastage included, while interior layouts can be adapted and change over time.

“Overall, the proposed development represents a sensible proposition, accords with the outline approved drawings and is in an established and sustainable location.

“It will provide much needed new housing as well as many identifiable, tangible and long lasting benefits for the local area.”

A dozen of the properties will be classed as affordable, with the other twenty-eight available on the open market. There will be 118 residential parking spaces on site.

The developers say the proposal will include 0.79ha of publicly accessible open space, which will include child and youth play areas, a community orchard and woodland planting with open amenity recreation areas.

Adam Ryan, Land and Planning Director at Backhouse, commented: “We are delighted to secure planning permission for our proposed Silver Street scheme in Midsomer Norton.

“This is a credit to Bath and North East Somerset Council, who approved this scheme with delegated powers within fourteen weeks and is testament to our design led, collaborative approach. This is an incredibly exciting project and we are looking forward to starting on site later this year.

“We will follow our ethos to build ‘forever’ homes that deliver the very best in modern living and enhance the existing landscape.”

The application was approved by Bath and North East Somerset Council

officers and did not go before a committee.

Stephen Sumner, LDRS