MORE than 5,400 new homes in Somerset could soon get the go-ahead in a bid to clear a lengthy local government backlog.

New housing and commercial development in Somerset has slowed to a relative crawl following the Dutch N court ruling, which forbids any net increase in phosphate levels within protected Ramsar sites – such as the Somerset Levels and Moors.

Somerset Council and its predecessors have been working with Natural England to develop short-term solutions, such as the creation of wetlands or allowing developers to purchase ‘phosphate credits’ to pay for off-site mitigation.

The council has now provided a list of all the major developments (i.e. those of ten homes or more) in the former South Somerset area which could get the go-ahead in the coming months once mitigation packages have been agreed.

The former South Somerset area has seen a particular glut of delayed planning decisions – with Councillor Peter Seib indicating on June 27 that additional public meetings may be needed to clear the backlog.

He told the council’s planning committee south, in his capacity as chairman: “We face a backlog of, by my reckoning, 54 major applications now, which are held up for various issues and they automatically come before us if there’s an objection.

“We also have the normal business that ought to be coming before us, which is getting nowhere near us at the moment.

“Practically, that means a two-year delay is built into the system unless we do something.”

Following the planning meeting on June 27, the council published a list of the major applications in the former South Somerset area which could be approved in the next 12 months, provided phosphate mitigation was agreed.

While the original number of applications was 54, this has now been reduced to 52 following the committee’s approval of plans for 67 homes on Ashlands Road in Crewkerne and its refusal of plans for 95 homes on the B3167 Perry Street in South Chard at that same meeting.

The remaining 53 sites could deliver a combined total of 5,408 homes between them – along with commercial space and a range of local amenities.

Several of the sites have already secured approval from one of South Somerset District Council’s planning committees – but they may need to return to the planning committee south for re-approval.

Interestingly, the list does not include the plans for 295 homes and a new football stadium at the northern edge of Chard – plans which officers indicated would have to come back to redetermination.

This suggests that the proposals will come before the council via a new planning application with phosphate mitigation built into it.

A spokesman said: “All major applications with an objection will go to committee where recommended for approval.

“Not all of these schemes may be recommended for approval, but this list gives an indication of the number of schemes that are likely to go to committee once they have phosphate solutions.”