North Somerset new homes scrapped for not meeting zero carbon plans

Mendip Spring was envisioned as a thriving new community with extensive green spaces just North of Langford. Credit: Google Maps.

Plans for a garden village offering 2,600 new homes in North Somerset have been scrapped.

North Somerset Council said the project, which sits North of Langford, was "likely to be predominantly car-based, with more limited scope for effective investment in public transport".

It found the plans failed to comply with its zero carbon objectives.

A spokeswoman for a residents' action group said they were relieved that "common sense had prevailed".

Current plans for the new homes have been scrapped. Credit: North Somerset Council

Churchill and Langford Residents' Action Group (CALRAG) added members were seriously concerned about the proposal to create six separate housing estates totalling 257 homes in the parish of Langford.

The spokeswoman said: "These will all have access from narrow lanes, which are already often choked with traffic... [and] car use will be almost obligatory as they are too far from bus routes or shops.

"It is ironic that these are the same reasons given for the removal of the Mendip Spring 'settlement' from the draft Local Plan".

She explained the village "lacked the infrastructure for these to be anything other than soulless dormitory estates".

North Somerset Council's draft local plan proposes sites for 18,046 new homes – which is 2,021 short of the 20,085 required by Government.

The local authority will have to dramatically increase its rate of delivery as it is now expected to build 1,339 homes per year, well above the current rate of 818.

The council will consult on the draft local plan in March. It is expected to be adopted in December 2023.

Credit: Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporter