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Nearly 50 new homes could be built in a Somerset town, mere yards from the site where a new doctors' surgery is planned.

Up to 125 homes are already planned on the eastern edge of Bruton – 65 homes off Wyvern Close (which will include land for a new medical centre at the northernmost point) and 60 off Brewham Road, not far from the town's railway station.

Somerset Council's planning committee south voted in late-July to delay a decision on these applications to allow planning officers to address ongoing concerns regarding road safety in these locations.

Strongvox Homes has now submitted plans for an additional 49 houses on the A359 Cuckoo Hill – just north of where the new doctors' surgery could be built.

The site is currently an agricultural field at the northern edge of Bruton, adjacent to the town's cemetery and allotments.

Access would be onto the A359, a short distance from the existing entrance to the Longcroft estate which is being delivered by the Acorn Property Group (the same company proposing the Brewham Road development).

The majority of the new homes would be delivered in the southern part of the site, with a sizeable area of public open space being created in the centre and an attenuation pond at the southern tip to reduce the risk of localised flooding.

A spokesman for Boon Brown Architects (representing the developer) said: "The proposed residential development has been carefully considered to provide an acceptable level of low-density development.

"Within its context and constraints, the scheme will provide 49 homes, including 17 affordable dwellings, that carefully consider the surrounding environment and community.

"Landscape design has played a significant role in shaping the proposed layout, with the proposed dwellings centred around the focal landscape features of the existing field and the landscape effectively influencing the site layout.

Proposed Site Of 49 Homes On The A359 Cuckoo Hill In Bruton. CREDIT: Google Maps.

"The parkland-esque setting of the site is in keeping with the rural surroundings and helps to soften the existing blunt edge to Bruton, with a more organic layout.

"The project is deemed to provide a well-balanced scheme that includes suitable dwellings, amenity, parking and an attractive landscape setting for the future residents to utilise and enjoy."

As part of the designs, space would be left for a pedestrian and road access to the new GP surgery, which would replace the current surgery on Patwell Lane at the other end of the town.

The existing surgery was identified as needing to expand or relocate by NHS bosses as far back as September 2020 – and currently has more than 5,700 patients on its books, as of December 2023 (the most recent figures available).

The NHS Somerset integrated care board (ICB) has formally requested a contribution of more than £20,000 towards delivering the new surgery – which will be added to nearly £27,000 to be provided by Woolsington One Ltd., which is seeking to develop the surrounding land.

The council is expected to make a decision on all three development proposals within the coming months.