PLANS for 150 homes on the site of the former Horlicks Factory site, and business premises on land to the north of Station Road in Ilminster, have been resubmitted.

Planning permission was previously sought by in 2018, with revised plans subsequently submitted to Somerset Council by Alder King on behalf of Dairygold Co-Operative Society at the end of September 2024. The site is 22 hectares in size and is divided into two by the B3168 Station Road.

The proposed development would provide 150 homes on land to the north of Station Road, with a mixture of open market and affordable dwellings. On the southern section of land, 21,780 square metres of employment floor space is proposed. This would comprise of a mix of different uses, including offices, general industrial, and drive thru uses, and a motor dealership.

Land at the former Horlicks Farms and Dairies also includes the River Isle corridor, which will see the creation of a flood alleviation channel adjacent to the watercourse.

According to Somerset Council’s Planning Consultation, between 2006 to March 2024, 379 houses have been delivered in Ilminster. The addition of 150 homes, 35% of which would be affordable, would take the total number of dwellings to 531. Another 400 homes have already been approved at Canal Way.

In a statement submitted to Somerset Council, Alder King said: “The 2018 planning application stalled owing to flood risk concerns and more latterly owing to phosphates given the unfavourable condition of the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar Site.”

“Following extensive discussions with the Environment Agency through their pre-application advice service, an acceptable flood risk solution has been designed to allow the development of the Site and that is reflected in this update to the current 2018 planning application.”

Responding to invitations for consultation, NHS England said: “The GP surgeries within the catchment area [Meadows Surgery and Summervale Surgery] that this application would affect, currently have sufficient infrastructure capacity to absorb the population increase that this potential development would generate.”

The former site and land of the Horlicks Factory has been a long-standing allocation in the adopted South Somerset Council Local Plan, with the aim of bringing greater employment opportunities to the area.

Comments can be submitted on Somerset Council's Planning Portal using reference: 19/00012/OUT