VISITORS to the United Reformed Church Hall in Wellington have had the chance to see what some of the hundreds of new homes to be built at Jurston Farm will look like.

The developer, CG Fry, staged a consultation on Tuesday afternoon last week on the site layout and detailed house designs for phases one and two of the scheme, given outline permission in December last year.

David Lohfink, the company’s land and planning director, is confident about the project’s merits. “I think what this offers is something better than has been built in Wellington for the last ten years,” he said. “We think this will be something different.”

The first phases of the scheme will be built on the south-west quadrant of the site next to the A38, Oldway Park, Blackmoor Road, Pyles Thorne Road and part of Beech Hill, and householders from those areas were invited to the consultation, along with the wider community.

Mr Lohfink added: “We have had quite a few people through the door, it’s been quite a good day so far. The majority of people have come in with an attitude of curiosity.

“This is first detailed stage – the first time people are seeing the precise road network, precise house types, house designs, materials, visual appearance and so on. This is all about layout, design, appearance, that sort of thing.

“We are explicitly asking for people’s feedback on the architecture, the house types, heights, sizes, positions in relation to neighbours’ boundaries, boundary treatments – we’re getting down to the fine grain detail.”

C G Fry and Son hopes to submit its detailed planning application by the end of this month, including feedback from members of the public.

Mr Lohfink said he hopes that will be given by September or October, although work cannot start before May next year because of dormice on the site. Hedges where the protected species lives will be removed for building but the animals will move to new woodland planted about two years ago – their nearest available habitat – when they come out of hibernation.

The developer’s first job will be building a roundabout near the junction of West Buckland Road and Jurston Lane, which will be the main access, then the roads and infrastructure will go in.

Phases 1 and 2 of the scheme are for 175 homes, including 45 ‘affordable’ properties for rent or shared ownership, out of an overall total of up to 650 homes. Some 40 to 50 houses, mostly two-storey and two- to four-bedroom, will be built every year over 12 or 13 years.

Mr Lohfink expected a mixture of purchasers, some from outside the South-West, some from Wellington and some from an increasingly busy and congested Taunton.

The scheme also includes a primary school, public open space, community woodland and centre for community and commercial uses. More consultations will be held as the other phases happen.