Plans to build 24 new homes in Somerset’s “most important and attractive” village have been unanimously refused by local councillors.

Wellington-based developer R & K Building Ltd. applied in October 2022 to build new homes on Butts Way in Milverton, on agricultural land next to the existing Tuckersmead homes.

Nearly four years on, the plans came before Somerset Council’s planning committee west in Taunton, with officers recommending that planning permission be granted.

But in the face of fierce local opposition, highways objections and significant concerns about the homes’ design, the committee voted instead to refuse the plans – with one councillor likening the homes to post-war Soviet architecture.

The site lies at the western edge of the village, around half a mile from the local primary school and cricket club and to the north of the existing allotments.

A new access road would have been created from Butts Way, with 64 car parking spaces being provided on site for the new residents.

Of the 24 homes proposed for the site (the majority of which would have had four or more bedrooms), six would have been affordable – meeting the council’s target of 25 per cent affordable homes for any development of ten homes or more within the former Taunton Deane area.

Tom Boxall, who owns one of the neighbouring properties, criticised the plans when the planning committee west (which handles major applications within the former Somerset West and Taunton area) met in Taunton.

He said: “It’s fair to say from the outset that this proposed development has ignored almost every principle stated in the Taunton Deane development plan.

“The application site substantially exceeds the area of land identified for development; the southern boundary of the development should end south of my garden.

“These new properties will be overbearing on our home. We are deeply concerned by this proposals.”

Kathryn Howard, clerk at Milverton Parish Council, said that it was “extremely misleading” to claim that the village was regularly served by local buses.

She said: “The 27 service runs a very limited schedule of four services per day from Wiveliscombe and three services per day from Wellington – and that only runs on three working days.

“Appropriate provision for infrastructure must be made to support both existing and future residents.”

Councillor Gwilym Wren (whose Upper Tone division includes the site) said he had no objection to building homes on this site but criticised the proposed access arrangements.

Councillor Dave Mansell (who represents the same division) concurred: “It doesn’t feel like access has been sufficiently explored in terms of looking at the options. The design brief said there should be safe pedestrian routes into the village – and that is not what we’ve ended up with.”

Councillor Stephen Pugsley (Conservative, Dulverton and Exmoor) was deeply critical of the designs of the proposed houses, likening them to the socialist realist architecture present in the Nowa Huta district of Krakow in Poland.

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R & K Building Ltd. has not yet indicated whether it intends to appeal the committee’s decision.