TAUNTON Deane Borough Council (TDBC) is facing a legal battle with a developer after its planning application at Wiveliscombe was refused again.

Gladman Land has applied for permission for new houses on land off North Street but it has twice been rejected by planners.

Gladman first submitted the plan for 130 new homes on land off North Street in March last year, before it was refused by the council in May.

The plans were considered ‘poor quality and characterless’ by residents living nearby, who also feared for the town’s lack of infrastructure and provision. In the decision, TDBC said the site is outside the defined settlement limit of Wiveliscombe, as set out in Taunton Deane’s Site Allocation Development Management Plan (SADMP).

The authority stated that it would have resulted in an unplanned extension of the town.

Gladman submitted fresh plans in January earlier this year, this time for up to 95 homes in the same area, despite the site still not being identified in the allocation plan.

But this was rejected in March for similar reasons. Now the developer has lodged an appeal against the council over its decision.

The appeal is set to commence on July 31 at a venue yet to be decided.