Plans to deliver new social housing on Norbins Road Car Park in Glastonbury are progressing with a formal planning application expected by October.

Mendip District Council's cabinet voted in November 2020 to deliver up to 160 new low-cost homes across five sites in the district in a partnership with Aster Housing.

Following a public outcry, the council withdrew proposals for up to 77 homes on the Easthill site in Frome in May 2021, giving assurances that the land would be retained for future community use.

The council has now revealed it is looking at additional sites in Frome and Shepton Mallet as it tries to ease the district's housing crisis.

A report on the various sites being considered by the council came before its scrutiny board on Tuesday evening (August 17).

Following the withdrawal of the Easthill site, there are four sites remaining within the agreement between Aster Housing and the council:

• Cemetery Lane in Street (33 houses adjoining the cemetery)
• Cranhill Road in Street (29 houses on the western half of the existing car park)
• North Parade in Frome (17 homes on the rear part of the existing car park)
• Norbins Road in Glastonbury (six houses on the existing car park, with access to St John's School being retained)

Both the Cemetery Lane and Norbins Road schemes have been approved by the council's cabinet, with contracts being exchanged and formal planning applications expected to be submitted by October.

However, the Cranhill scheme is currently on hold until an investigation into an alternative, third-party site has been concluded.

The remaining site, within the North Parade car park on Welshmill Road, could accommodate up to 18 new homes under new proposals involving the Stonewater housing association.

Councillor Richard Pinnock, portfolio holder for housing services and governance, said a land swap with the neighbouring Farleigh Further Education College had already been secured and a new, safer access would be provided if the new homes went ahead.

He added in his written report: "We have been working with Stonewater Housing to develop plans for a modular housing scheme comprising 18 homes on the rear half of the car park.

"These homes would respect the sylvan setting of the adjoining conservation area and provide an improved gateway to the Millennium Green public park at the rear.

"The front half of the car park would be retained and, after provision of parking for the residents of the new housing, would offer about 30 spaces for public parking."

The council received £112,000 from the government's land release fund in 2018 to explore how feasible development would be on the North Parade site.

Recent monitoring found that the car park is "amongst the least utilised" in Frome, operating at under 20 per cent of its capacity even during peak times.

The council's cabinet is expected to formally approve the North Parade scheme in early-September, with Stonewater due to put formal plans forward by late-December and construction beginning by August 2022.

In addition to these locations, the council has been exploring the possibility of building new homes on land on the B3136 West Shepton, immediately to the east of Shepton Mallet AFC.

Mr Pinnock said: "This land is part of an area let to the club.

"They have identified a need for improved training facilities on land to the west of their stadium, and are prepared to give up un-utilised land to the east which could then be developed for social housing.

"Improved facilities for the club would be part of the planning case given the proposed change of use from recreation to housing."

LiveWest has proposed a scheme of 15 one and two-bedroom social rent homes on the West Shepton site, with priority being given to elderly residents.

Mr Pinnock said a grant from Homes England would be needed to ensure the scheme could go ahead in its intended form.

This scheme comes as Redrow Homes put forward plans for 125 homes to the west of the town's football stadium, with a new access being provided from Old Wells Road.

Councillor Edric Hobbs (whose Shepton West ward includes the club) said developing the land would also assist in providing better cycling infrastructure across the town – including improvements to the Strawberry Line.

He said: "We could create some form of cycle path across this site onto the West Shepton playing field.

"That would give us an opportunity to put traffic calming on the B3136 – which is rapidly becoming a racetrack out of Shepton Mallet – and giving us a safe crossing near Kent Lane.

"I'm really keen to see this go ahead, and it would seem daft not to do as much as possible in one hit."

The council's cabinet will discuss the different social housing projects further when it meets on September 6.