Martock faces decision on 86 new homes near A303
A developer seeks approval for a large housing block on Foldhill Lane, citing a regional shortage of affordable units.
By Nikolai Morales ·
Somerset Council is set to review a proposal for 86 new houses on the eastern edge of Martock, a small village located near the A303 highway.
Mike Lock Construction Ltd. filed the application to build the new development adjacent to a site where Stonewater recently delivered 23 affordable properties. The proposed land sits between Foldhill Lane and a footpath that follows the route of a railway line dismantled in the 1960s.
The plan includes a mix of one-bedroom flats and four-bedroom houses. Thirty of the 86 units would be designated as affordable housing. This figure meets the council's requirement for 35 percent affordable units on any project with ten or more homes.
Place By Design, which represents the Taunton-based applicant, stated that there is an acute unmet need for affordable housing in south Somerset. A spokesperson noted that approximately 3,500 households are currently registered in housing need with Homefinder Somerset.
Of the 30 affordable homes, 80 percent will be offered at social rent. The remaining 20 percent will be provided at intermediate tenures, such as affordable rent. Applicants with a local connection to Martock will receive priority on the housing register.
Access to the site will be limited to a new vehicular junction on Foldhill Lane. Pedestrian entrances will be located at the northwestern corner onto the lane and at the southwestern corner onto the footpath.
Martock has seen increased development activity over the past decade. Barratt Homes built 120 homes at the Coat Grove site. The council approved plans for another 35 homes there in December 2025 after a legal delay related to the phosphates crisis. Countryside Partnerships and Magna Housing also hold outline consent for 100 homes on the northern side of Coat Road.
The council is expected to make a final ruling on the Foldhill Lane proposals by the summer of 2027. Due to the scale of the project, the decision may be made in public by the planning committee south rather than by planning officers.
