Somerset Local Plan Scoping Consultation 2026

Biodiversity interest in Somerset is widespread, but predominantly focussed outside of the existing settlements. Internationally and nationally designated sites are concentrated in the centre and north of the county, associated with the Somerset Levels and Severn Estuary.

Locally designated sites, including Local Nature Reserves, Local Wildlife Sites and Local Geological Sites, are widespread across the county, including the urban areas.

The HRA Screening and Scoping Report provides a high-level assessment of the potential for each of the six spatial strategy options to have adverse effects upon European sites in and around the county with respect to air quality, water quality, recreational disturbance and urbanisation effects. Therefore the assessment of impacts reported here relating to European sites has been drawn from that study. Key assumptions within that study include:

• Water quality effects: Although each option involves growth within nutrient-sensitive catchments, those that direct higher levels of development outside nutrient neutrality areas (such as around Bridgwater and the northern parts of the Plan area) are expected to have fewer negative impacts;
• Recreational disturbance effects: At a high-level impacts are likely to be reduced when development is focussed to the south of the Local Plan area where fewer European sites are located; and
• Urbanisation effects: Focusing new development within or adjacent to existing built-up settlements can reduce the need to create new sources of urbanisation pressure. Spatial strategy options that direct a greater share of development to the south and southeast, where fewer European sites are located, are likely to pose a lower risk in terms of urbanisation impacts.

All options are considered to be able to deliver the full housing requirement for Somerset. In the Spatial Strategy Options Paper, Option 6 falls short of the full requirement, but only because the remainder would be delivered outside the listed settlements in the wider open countryside.

The most deprived communities in Somerset, falling within the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (2025 census), are found in the Tier 1 settlements of Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater and the Tier 2 settlement of Highbridge.

In the majority of cases, larger sites provide opportunity for a greater range of types and sizes of home.

The prediction of accessibility effects has been informed by the Settlement Role and Function Study and scoring arising out of the WSP Accessibility Tool. The overall accessibility scores assigned in this study demonstrate increasing accessibility further up the settlement hierarchy, that is to say that the Tier 1 settlements have the highest accessibility, followed by the Tier 2 settlements etc. There is variability between settlements in each tier and in some instances, settlements do not follow the trend: for example North Petherton (Tier 3a) has a higher accessibility score than some Tier 2 settlements. But on the whole the settlements conform to this trend.

Development in general is likely to stimulate provision of new infrastructure, including new services and facilities which will benefit new and existing residents. This includes in rural communities, although the scale of development would need to be significant enough to improve provision of services.

Settlements with higher levels of accessibility are more likely to provide residents with better access to health infrastructure including healthcare, food retail, sports facilities and open space which are all indicators of good health and wellbeing.

Higher levels of accessibility are more likely to provide opportunities for active travel with associated health benefits.

There is little Predictive Grade 1 and Grade 2 agricultural land in the county, although land around the fringes of some of the larger settlements does include pockets of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural resource, particularly Yeovil. Soilscapes data suggests that the most fertile soils are largely located in the north and east of the county.

Source protection zones extend within the settlements of Cheddar, Shepton Mallet, Frome, Crewkerne and South Petherton.

The only Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in Somerset encompasses the entire built up area of Yeovil.

Higher density development is more likely to be appropriate in the larger settlements. Minerals safeguarding areas are spread throughout the county.

Development in settlements with higher accessibility scores is considered to have lower associated carbon emissions as residents will be less reliant on private vehicles.

On the whole, digital connectivity and broadband speeds are higher in the urban areas, thereby providing better opportunities for working for home.

In terms of domestic carbon emissions, it is not possible to differentiate between spatial options based on their ability to connect directly into a renewables generation site; however, larger sites, which are more likely to come forward in the higher tier settlements, are likely to be better suited to having a direct connection and also have greater potential for district-heating networks.

Peaty soils are important carbon sinks. Developing on peaty soils can release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. There are areas of deep peaty soils and soils with peaty pockets throughout Somerset, with the deep peaty soils predominantly in the centre of the county; these are mostly located beyond the existing urban areas.

Development in the flood zone will be susceptible to the effects of flooding exacerbated by climate change.

Different soil types influence rates of runoff and infiltration and in turn the effectiveness of Sustainable urban Drainage Systems (SuDS). Soilscapes data indicate a range of soil types across the county. Impermeable soils could potentially exacerbate the effects of flooding and limit the effectiveness of SuDS.

Climate change adaptation and resilience will largely be site specific and dependent on how an individual development comes forward.

Heritage assets are spread throughout the county with listed buildings and conservation areas concentrated within settlements for the most part, including small villages. There are also a number of scheduled monuments, Registered Parks and Gardens (RPGs) and two battlefields in the county. Areas of archaeological importance are largely concentrated in the centre of the county outside the existing settlements for the most part. Heritage impacts, both direct and indirect through impacts to setting, will be highly location specific.

There are a number of National Landscapes across Somerset and the Exmoor National Park lies in the west of the county. These areas will be highly sensitive to development, and development in proximity to these areas could adversely impact landscape character and alter views from within the sensitive areas. The Spatial Strategy Topic Paper acknowledges potential for impacts up to 2km from a designated landscape. Ultimately, the potential for a development to impact upon the landscape will depend upon its layout, design, orientation, scale, massing and material selection amongst other things.

Settlements with high levels of accessibility are more likely to provide residents with better access to employment and training opportunities.

Development within settlements is likely to contribute to the vitality and viability of these communities.

1b – Combined Roll-Forward by Settlement - This seeks to reflect a roll forward of each area's existing plan spatial strategies, applied to the new plan period.

2c – Tiered % Growth - This seeks to reflect a proportional increase of dwellings in a settlement depending on its scale.

4b – Climate Resilience - This seeks to avoid significant growth in areas at greatest risk of impacts from climate change, including flood risk and coastal change.

4c – Public Transport Corridors - This seeks to maximise opportunities of locating growth in places with better access to public transport

4d – Job Opportunity Focus - This seeks to maximise opportunities of locating growth close to higher density clusters of jobs.

6 – Real World Delivery - This seeks to reflect actual delivery patterns and market behaviour. It is a relatively rurally dispersed strategy.

The scores for how each option performs against each SA Objective are summarised in the table below. For further detail including narrative of how these scores are arrived at can be found within the Technical Note.

1b – Combined Roll-Forward by Settlement - This seeks to reflect a roll forward of each area's existing plan spatial strategies, applied to the new plan period.

2c – Tiered % Growth - This seeks to reflect a proportional increase of dwellings in a settlement depending on its scale.

4b – Climate Resilience - This seeks to avoid significant growth in areas at greatest risk of impacts from climate change, including flood risk and coastal change.

4c – Public Transport Corridors - This seeks to maximise opportunities of locating growth in places with better access to public transport

4d – Job Opportunity Focus - This seeks to maximise opportunities of locating growth close to higher density clusters of jobs.

6 – Real World Delivery - This seeks to reflect actual delivery patterns and market behaviour. It is a relatively rurally dispersed strategy.

5a/b – New settlements – Considers whether new settlements are needed; these take time to deliver and would make a limited contribution in the plan period.

8 – Promoted sites – Considers sites submitted through the Call for Sites, including those assessed in the HELAA.

9 – Blended strategy – Combines different options to balance their strengths and weaknesses.