Plans for 380-home development on farmland submitted

Plans for a new 380-home development in Dorset have been submitted.

An outline planning application was put forward by Bristol-based Hallam Land Management Ltd for a site either side of Compton Road, just off the Sherborne Road and Babylon Hill, close to Yeovil.

The proposals for the 37-hectare farmland suggest that 35% of the homes will be affordable and includes a new country park.

The outline planning application is open for public comment until mid-September.

The site is north of shopping units off the A30, with the River Yeo on the opposite side, and existing semi-detached properties on the southern side of Compton Road.

The developers have proposed that the northern section of the site should remain free from development.

Instead this area would feature a publicly accessible country park, new active travel routes along Compton Road, and a community orchard.

To date there has been one public comment from a Compton Road resident strongly objecting on the grounds of the development encroaching on the existing homes, as well as traffic concerns, and flooding.

"The site is not suitable for 380 homes, and the plans fail to address these existing issues," they wrote.

They added that the development "threatens local wildlife, including bats, deer, buzzards and kites that rely on this land".

The company behind the development was previously involved in the scheme at Vearse Farm, Bridport.