WORK on a project to build hundreds of homes in Wellington could start as early as next year.

A primary school, new link road, community hall and shops could also be built as part of the 900-home Jurston development.

Details of the scheme were outlined at Taunton Deane’s community scrutiny meeting last week with a six-week public consultation expected to take place before the summer.

The project is part of the Deane’s core strategy to provide a “compact urban extension” east of Wellington, to include:

  • Around 900 homes at an average of 35-40 per hectare, with 25% of these affordable housing;
  • New single form entry primary school, community hall, places of worship, sheltered housing and convenience shopping;
  • A north-south link road between Taunton Road and the A38;
  • A bus loop to provide public transport access to residential areas and link with the town centre, railway station and inter-urban bus services between Wellington and Taunton;
  • A green wedge of approximately 30 hectares to the east of the new residential area and part of the green link from Wellington eastwards to the River Tone and West Deane Way.

Taunton Deane MP Jeremy Browne said: “What is being proposed is a massive new development that will have big implications for Wellington.

“The town has already had hundreds of houses built at Cades Farm and hundreds more will be built at Longforth.

“There is a strong case for extra house building but there needs to be full public consultation and the scale of the development should be appropriate to the size of the town.

“Wellington also increasingly needs infrastructure improvements to stop the town becoming even more congested with traffic and it would make sense for an expanding Wellington to have a train station.

“What would be the worst of all worlds is Wellington being expanded but without the train station, road improvements, schools and amenities that are needed.”

Some of the houses are already under construction as these make up the second phase of the Cades Farm development.

Around 650 of the homes are planned for the land around Jurston Farm, with the whole project expected to be phased out between 2015 and 2030.

The first 150 houses could be built from next year, along with the school and other community facilities, as well as a new roundabout on the A38.

Developers then anticipate building 90 houses in 2018-2020, 100 between 2020-2022, 100 between 2022-2024, 90 between 2024-2026, 60 between 2026-2028 and 60 more by 2030.

Planners say the scheme will create a “neighbourhood that reflects the existing landscape character” with easy access to the town centre.

To view the full development brief, click here.