MORE then 500 new homes will be built a stone’s throw from the M5 in Somerset following a decision by local councillors.

The Bridgwater Gateway site lies on the A38 Taunton Road between Bridgwater’s southern edge and North Petherton, a short distance from junction 24 of the M5.

The first phase of the development – the commercial element – has been steadily progressing, with the construction of the Premier Inn, Costa Coffee drive-thru outlet and numerous industrial units leading off Compass Avenue.

Somerset Council has now given the green light to the second, residential phase, which will see a total of 511 new homes delivered to the north-west of the industrial units.

The residential element of the Bridgwater Gateway development will be delivered by two different companies.

Boklok Housing Ltd. will deliver 361 homes on the central and eastern part of the allocated land, in line with the Bridgwater Gateway design guide which was approved by Sedgemoor District Council in March 2022.

The company’s proposals for their allocation, submitted in July 2022, originally comprised 346 homes and a 66-bed care home, but these were subsequently amended, with the care home “falling by the wayside” and being replaced by an additional 15 houses.

The remaining 150 homes, on the western parcel of land, will be delivered by Vistry Partnerships, which publishes its proposals back in February 2023.

Across both sites, only ten per cent of the new homes will be affordable – the equivalent of 51 properties.