New homes will be delivered in a small village on the Somerset Levels after plans were approved by local councillors.

South West Strategic Developments held a consultation in late-2023 over plans to build up to 46 homes and a convenience store on the Loadpool Farm site either side of the A372 New Road on the eastern edge of Othery.

The land promoter, which is based in Epsom in Surrey, put forward formal plans in February for the first phase of the development, delivering seven homes on the southern side of the road.

Somerset Council’s planning committee north (which handles major applications in the former Sedgemoor area) voted to approve the plans when it met in Bridgwater on August 13.

The site lies south of the existing homes on Peppers Close, and is currently occupied by agricultural buildings.

Under the proposals, two of the new homes will be offered at the open market rate, while the others will be self-build plots.

A total of 15 open car parking spaces will be provided on-site, along with eight further spaces in covered car ports.

A new access road will be created to connect the homes to the A372, providing the new owners with a straightforward commuting route to either Bridgwater or Langport.

Councillor Matt Martin (whose King Alfred division includes the site) questioned whether this development would truly meet the needs of the local area.

He said: “The housing needs assessment on which a lot of this is based as quite an old document. A new assessment was requested by the parish council.

“We’re saying that a need has been identified, but will another assessment be on the cards for Othery?

“Such an assessment may show that properties are required – but they won’t be four-bedroom jobs, they’ll be one- or two-bedroom properties.”

Councillor Bob Filmer (Brent) said: “It may be that when the self-build people come along, they don’t need four-bedroom homes – they might only need two- or only three-bedroom houses.”

Councillor Alan Bradford (North Petherton) added: “Clearly this is a site that wants something to do – it’s been redundant for some time.

“We want to do something that’s going to be right for Othery and for the people of Othery. We don’t red faces on this planning committee.”

After around 45 minutes’ debate, the committee voted to approve the plans by 11 votes to one.

Detailed further proposals for the northern site are expected to come forward later in the year.