RESIDENTS of a small Somerset town will find it easier to access a beloved local nature reserve as part of a major new housing development on the neighbouring land.

Herne Hill lies to the south of Canal Way in Ilminster, serving as a part of a natural buffer between the town, the village of Donyatt and the small hamlet of Sea.

The land was declared a local nature reserve in September 2018 with the support of both South Somerset District Council and Ilminster Town Council, with the latter being responsible for its general management.

Persimmon Homes South West secured outline planning permission in January to build up to 360 new homes between Canal Way and the nature reserve, with the main access point being near The Meadows doctors’ surgery.

The developer has now pledged to improve access to the reserve as part of the construction of these new homes – but is tight-lipped over whether the reserve could be expanded in the future to offset the development’s impact.

Herne Hill was gifted to the people of Ilminster in 1931 by Major Sir George Davies MP and Walter Trivett.

Covering some 25 acres (just over ten hectares), the woods are currently accessible from two public rights of way – one running from north to south through the Persimmon site, and one running from east to west between Herne Rise and the Stop Line Way active travel route in Donyatt.

As part of the outline plans for the new homes, Persimmon has promised to upgrade the footpath from Canal Way leading up to the nature reserve – a path which is currently steep and regularly affected by deep mud.

The developer will also deliver new public open space between the woods and the new homes to reduce the impact of the development.

A spokesman said: “Our access and movement plans proposes indicative pedestrian and cycling links within our site and to its boundaries.

“More detailed proposals will be considered in due course once we have agreed the Section 106 agreement and the decision notice has been issued by Somerset Council.”

As part of the Section 106 agreement, Persimmon has promised to provide “an appropriate contribution” to upgrade the Stop Line Way – though it will be far below the £1.7m requested by Sustrans to enhance the route as far as Peasmarsh, on the way on Chard.

Nearly £2.8m for local school improvements will be provided, including nearly £763,000 for early years placed, almost £1.65m for secondary places in the local area (either Holyrood Academy in Chard or Wadham School in Crewkerne), and more than £372,000 for special needs provision.

In order to deliver the development without increasing phosphate levels within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, large swathes of council-owned agricultural land south of Herne Hill will be fallowed.

If no permanent mitigation can be secured after five years (such as the creation of wetlands or upgrading Ilminster’s waste water treatment plant), this land will be planted with trees.

Persimmon has not confirmed whether it would consider extending the nature reserve to the south as part of this phosphate mitigation work.

A spokesman said: “We do not currently own the land south of Herne Hill; we only have an option to purchase the land identified within our red line site plan.

“The fallow land strategy is being progressed by Somerset Council, and the land identified within our red line will form part of the public open space strategy.

“The area will be of high quality and will contribute to biodiversity net gain.

“More detailed plans will be progressed at the reserved matters and discharge of condition stage.”

A reserved matters application for the Canal Way site, detailing the design, layout and phasing of the new homes, is expected to come forward later in the year.