Planners have given the green light to plans to build a new care facility in Nynehead.
New residential accommodation for people in need of care is now set to be built on the grounds of Court Gardens Farm. The new facility will be a self-contained extension of the existing Nynehead Court facility.
The Grade II listed site is just 300 metres from the existing Nynehead Court assisted living residence, and once served as its walled kitchen garden.
It presently contains a 17th century thatched farm house, in addition to several outbuildings the latter of which are in a state of disrepair.
Architects, Reeds Holland Associates, told planners that their plans would remain in keeping with the character of the area. They said: "Opportunities for new development are limited to the inside of the north wall in keeping with the farmhouse’s relationship to the enclosure, and to the outside of the wall elsewhere.
"The approach is one of sedate, recessive subservience, which is accomplished through the choice of form and material palette."
The new proposal would be a self-contained extension to the existing Nynehead Court facility, and would comprise 13 residential units, including two new buildings and the renovated farmhouse.
It will also see three existing outbuildings refurbished and repurposed, with a further two being demolished to make way for a new community centre, doubling as a staff building.
The scheme includes a communal garden area which will host vegetable allotments and an orchard for use by the residents.
The staff building will feature a green roof, which the architects say will help the building in blending in to the landscape and minimising any distraction.
Site access will be from the existing farm track which serves Nynehead Court, coming off from Nynehead Hollow.
The new site will have seven car parking spaces, with visitors parking at the main Nynehead Court site and being transported to the development by staff. The lane will also feature a minibus turnaround, drop-off and collection area.
Reed Holland Associates told planners that these proposals would "salvage" an historic site, restoring it in part to its original purpose as a food source, presenting an opportunity to "arrest the long-term decline of an important heritage asset."
Commenting on the plans, heritage expert Stephen Bond said the plans were compliant with government heritage policy, saying:
"These heritage benefits represent strong justification under the NPPF (government heritage policy) for the granting of permission for the proposed scheme."
The plans also went before the Environment Agency, who lodged no objections, and the highways authority, who found the development would be sufficiently served by the road network.
Nynehead Parish Council also leant their support to the new facility, though raised concerns about traffic and light pollution amongst other things. Raising concern over lights which would be associated with the development, a council statement told planners:
"All external lighting associated with this development should be fully shielded, directed downwards and use white light low-energy lamps (LED) so as to limit the impact of light pollution on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation.
"Nynehead residents already suffer from the consequences of light pollution and are very sensitive to this issue."
Kingston St Mary Parish Council gave the plans their full support, before Somerset Council granted conditional approval, almost three years after the original plans were put before the now defunct Somerset West and Taunton Council.
Construction of new residential care units, refurbishments and ancillary structures is now set to begin, though the expected completion date is not yet known.