Work on crucial Crewkerne junction upgrade to begin after Easter
Somerset Council has confirmed the work will begin after a delay.
Last updated 13th Mar 2026
Work on a crucial new road junction in Crewkerne will finally begin after the Easter bank holiday, Somerset Council has confirmed.
Taylor Wimpey Exeter is currently constructing the Wool Gardens estate on the Crewkerne Key Site, which will eventually comprise 635 homes, a 66-bed care home and commercial space between the A30 Yeovil Road and the A356 Station Road.
A total of 110 homes have already been constructed at the southern end of the site, with residents having to use the Blacknell Lane Industrial Estate to access both the town centre and the railway station, which lies in the neighbouring parish of Misterton.
A new signal-controlled junction linking these new homes and the wider site to Station Road was originally due to be completed before 55 homes within the development had been built and occupied.
But the developer reached an agreement with Somerset Council in May 2025 to delay the delivery of this junction until nearly 200 homes have been completed.
The council has now confirmed that work on the new junction will officially begin in early-April and take nearly five months to complete.
Julie Chant from campaign group Space4Crewkerne formally raised this issue when the council’s executive committee met in Taunton on Wednesday (March 11th).
She said: “In the current Local Plan, two key targets for Crewkerne were creating 577 new jobs between 2006 and 2028 and delivery of a new link road between the A356 and the A30 to address the vehicular congestion in the town centre.
“To the best of my knowledge, the target for new jobs has not been met and there are multiple empty business premises in both the town centre and the main trading estate.
“No part of the planned link road has been built, although there is a suggestion
that the junction at Station Road will be started in late-spring.
“The Local Plan was very clear that this link road was critical infrastructure for the town and without it the Taylor Wimpey development could not go ahead – and yet they have built houses at the southern end and have commenced housing on the northern end.”
Under the current planning permission, the developer can deliver up to 110 homes on the northern site before further phases have to be approved – with a separate application for the remaining 415 homes being currently under consideration.
Ms Chant continued: “It should also be noted that Crewkerne has already over delivered on the housing target set in the Local Plan.
“The last traffic surveys in Crewkerne were undertaken in 2004, more than 20 years ago, and none of the main recommendations for the town identified in that survey have been delivered.
“Given the non-delivery of the critical link road, and the lack of any meaningful
improvements in the town centre, daily traffic congestion has led to motorists
increasingly using surrounding villages as their chosen routes, which has created enormous problems for Misterton, North Perrott and Haselbury.
“How are large scale developments, such as the approved Tilia Homes site for 145 houses and the proposed 325 houses off Station Road being considered by the planning department, given the critical infrastructure and the required new employment for Crewkerne has not been delivered?”
The Planning Inspectorate ruled against the council in November 2025, granting Tilia Homes permission to construct 145 homes at the Maple Grove site on Lang Road at the town’s southern edge.
Plans for a further 325 homes and additional parking for the town’s railway station were put forward by Place Land Ltd. in September 2025 – with a decision being expected on these proposals by the summer.
Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, confirmed that construction of the new junction will begin on Tuesday, April 7th (the day after Easter Monday).
He said: “Work will commence on the southern junction in April, with a view to this being completed later in the year. This will allow the southern parcel to gain access from Station Road."
“While these works are being undertaken, our highways team will work with the developer to finalise the technical approvals for the northern access and the remainder of the link road."
“The developer is fully aware of its obligations to deliver the link road, and is working closely with us to agree the works and a programme of delivery which will look to get the link road in place as soon as practically possible.”
The council’s official roadworks portal indicates that two-way temporary traffic lights will be in place at the construction site until Monday, August 31st.
Motorists wishing to access the railway station during the construction should allow additional time for their journeys, or else will have to use the narrow Cathole Bridge Road to access the site from Misterton.
Mr Rigby (who represents the Lydeard division near Taunton) added: “We are still required by national policy to consider new planning applications."
“Developers are required to submit transport assessments for each major application, and these are reviewed by our highways team to judge whether the impacts could be managed or mitigated."
“Current national policy makes it challenging to refuse applications unless the evidence clearly demonstrates that the development will create an unacceptable impact on highways safety or result in severe residual cumulative impacts.”