95 new low-cost homes could be built near Chard
The homes could be built if revised plans get the green light.
Last updated 2nd Jan 2026
Nearly 100 new low-cost homes could be built in a small village near Chard if revised plans are approved in the coming months.
The Crossman Group secured outline permission on appeal in March 2024 to deliver 95 new homes on the B3167 Perry Street in South Chard, a short distance from the Devon-Somerset border.
The site – which lies at the southern edge of the village – was subsequently put on the market, being advertised by Greenslade Taylor Hunt for an undisclosed sum.
Somerset Council has now approved changes to the existing plans, which will allow a fresh proposal to be brought forward by housing association LiveWest, to be considered by local councillors later in the year.
The original outline permission included a number of conditions – including time limits for how soon revised plans (known as a reserved matters application) could come forward.
Crossman’s proposals also included a provision that five plots within the site would be allocated for self-build projects.
Matt Frost, director at LRM Planning, said that removing the latter requirement would enable LiveWest to bring forward the site for development as soon as possible.
He said: “The site is to be delivered for a registered provider of affordable housing (LiveWest)."
“A reserved matters application for up to 95 dwellings, pursuant to the outline planning permission, is currently being prepared on their behalf and will be submitted shortly."
“As a registered housing provider, LiveWest is unable to deliver open market self-build housing; rather, the self-build plots would be delivered as affordable housing – thereby providing additionality in this regard with significant benefits for meeting local housing need.”
The original planning permission required that 35 per cent of the new homes within the site would be affordable – the equivalent of 33 properties.
As part of the plans, any developer must provide more than £894,000 for local education – including nearly £334,000 to ensure sufficient capacity at Holyrood Academy and more than £502,000 towards Chard’s new primary school (which will be built within the grounds of the secondary school).
Tim Marsh, the council’s principal planning officer, said the proposed changes were acceptable in light of existing planning policies.
He said: “The proposed changes to remove references to self-build plots are considered to be non-material."
“This is because there are no policies in the adopted South Somerset Local Plan requiring the provision of self-build housing, a nd the merits of providing self-build properties are not afforded any weight in the assessment of the application or in the inspector’s decision.”
LiveWest has not indicated how soon it will bring forward a reserved matters application for the site.
Due to the scale and significance of the proposals, a final decision is likely to be taken in public by the council’s planning committee south.