THE fate of a key brownfield site in a growing Somerset market town remains in the balance after repeated delays to a planning appeal.

Castle Cary (BMI) Ltd applied to redevelop the former BMI complex on the A371 Cumnock Road in Castle Cary to deliver a total of 81 new homes for the town.

South Somerset District Council twice voted to refuse the plans in the summer of 2019 – a decision which was subsequently upheld by the Planning Inspectorate in December 2020 following a public inquiry.

Following a successful high court challenge, a second public inquiry was instituted in November 2021, with hearings originally being set for December 2021 before being pushed back to March 2022 and subsequently delayed again.

More than two years on from this second inquiry being started, residents are still waiting for the inquiry to resume – and for inspectors to decide whether the site will be redeveloped.

The brownfield site is currently surrounded on three sides by existing residential developments on Ansford Road, Cumnock Road and Upper High Street.

The original plans envisioned 70 new homes being built on the brownfield site, with the remaining 11 dwellings being delivered by converting the existing mill buildings.

These proposals were originally refused on the grounds of “deficient” parking levels, the high density of housing and the new estate road not being adopted and maintained by Somerset County Council.

The Planning Inspectorate ruled in the council’s favour in November 2020 – but ordered the local authority to pay the developer’s legal costs due to “unreasonable behaviour” on the former’s part during the appeal process.

Inspector Jasmine Rogers confirmed in November 2021 that a second inquiry will be held, with the High Court judgement confirming the entire application needed to be redetermined.

The site is one of more than 50 developments in the former South Somerset area which has been held by the ongoing phosphates crisis – which is holding up the delivery of around 18,000 homes across the entire county.

To prevent damage to the Somerset Levels and Moors, any new development must provide additional phosphate mitigation – such as the creation of new wetlands, upgrades to waste water treatment plans or the fallowing of agricultural land within the same catchment area.

Somerset Council – which replaced the county and district councils in April 2023 – said that the inquiry could not resume until a provisional solution had been put forward by the developer.

It added that the appeal may be continued solely through written representations, rather than staging further public hearings.

A spokesman said: “The Planning Inspectorate is considering the preferred approach to determining the appeal which was originally dealt with by way of written representations.

“Currently it is proposed to be a hearing, but the inspectorate is considering whether this is necessary.

“In relation to phosphates, the applicant knows that they need to find a solution to satisfy the Inspector that their proposals are acceptable.

“There are several solutions that offer applicants the opportunity to acquire credits and the council is aware these are being pursued by the appellant.”

Three other major developments in Castle Cary are also currently being held up by the phosphates crisis, both located on the B3152 Station Road.

Persimmon Homes Severn Valley submitted plans in July 2019 for 165 homes on the western side of the road, near Torbay Road – which includes an allocation for employment units and a new primary school.

Abri is intending to deliver 37 new homes immediately to the north of the Persimmon site, with Redcliffe Housing planning to build 29 homes immediately opposite (i.e. on the eastern side of the road).

Decisions on these three applications are all expected before the end of the year.