Residents campaign against Taylor Wimpey plan for 7,000 homes near Blackdown Hills
Residents near Taunton are campaigning against Taylor Wimpey's proposed 7,000-home garden village beside the Blackdown Hills, and have launched a petition.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Residents in Stoke St Mary and nearby villages are campaigning against plans by Taylor Wimpey for a new town of around 7,000 homes on the Blackdown Vale, just south of Taunton. Campaigners say the development would permanently damage the rural landscape and the setting of the Blackdown Hills, which has the same protected status as a national park and is also known as a national landscape.
The proposals cover more than 1,000 acres and were put forward last year as part of Somerset Council's new local plan, which will decide where housing sites are allocated up to 2045. Residents argue that building at this scale would put pressure on infrastructure and public services, with one campaigner questioning whether Musgrove could cope with a large increase in population. Others object that the land is good quality agricultural land, classed as grade two and three, and that food security should be treated as seriously as energy security.
Local people also say the site is unsuitable because it lies within about one kilometre of the Blackdown Hills national landscape. One campaigner said: 'Would we build next door to Exmoor or Dartmoor or the Lake District? This is what we're aggrieved about.' Another said: 'Everybody's up in arms.' A campaigner warned that mitigation measures would not hide 7,000 homes within the development.
Taylor Wimpey said the Blackdown Hills would be protected. A spokesperson said the Taunton Garden Village proposals include around 7,000 modern, energy-efficient and sustainable homes, alongside schools, health care facilities, community spaces and infrastructure needed to create a self-sustaining community.
Campaigners have launched a petition against the plans. They say the next step will be part of a long battle to protect the area.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Residents and campaigners in Stoke St Mary oppose Taylor Wimpey's plans and have launched a petition, citing permanent damage to rural Somerset. | |
| The proposed development spans over 1,000 acres and was included last year in Somerset Council's local plan for housing through 2045. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV News West Country led with the local campaign in Stoke St Mary and gave residents a strong voice against Taylor Wimpey's plans. It set out the scale of the proposed 7,000-home town, the protected landscape and infrastructure concerns, then included the developer's response and the petition. The tone was sympathetic to campaigners while still carrying Taylor Wimpey's statement.
- “Would we build next door to Exmoor or Dartmoor or the Lake District? This is what we're aggrieved about.”
- “you are not going to hide 7,000 homes within this development”
- “A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said the plans would ensure the Blackdown Hills were protected adding our proposals for Taunton Garden Village include around 7,000 modern energy-efficient and sustainable homes alongside the schools, health care facilities, community spaces and infrastructure needed to create a self-sustaining community.”
Broadcast Timeline
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