Access to new £20m railway station to be built

Access to a new £20m railway station can soon begin construction after plans for 178 homes were approved.

Following the conclusion of its spending review, the government announced in mid-June 2025 that rail services would be returning to Wellington more than 60 years after its original station closed.

Access to the new station will be achieved through a housing development west of Nynehead Road, with the existing access road to the Lidl supermarket being extended to the north-west.

Somerset Council's planning committee west gave the green light to these proposals on Tuesday, allowing construction to begin later in the year.

West of England Developments secured outline planning consent in May 2024 to deliver the spine road along with up to 200 new homes, commercial space and extensive walking and cycling links.

The site was subsequently sold to Bloor Homes South West, which published revised proposals for 161 homes on the site in October 2025, with the proposals subsequently being revised upwards to 178 properties.

Those plans have now been approved.

In line with the outline planning permission, walking and cycling routes to the new homes will be provided, both along the entire length of the spine road and along the western boundary towards the B3187 Taunton Road.

Green space will still be provided to the west of the new homes, with Bloor intending to plant more than 220 new trees and around 600 metres of native hedgerow.

None of the properties will be affordable due to the cost of providing phosphate mitigation.

The committee voted unanimously to approve the plans after around an hour's debate.

Network Rail plans to submit its own planning application for the railway station, car park and associated infrastructure, which will be subject to a separate committee decision.

The new station is expected to be operational by 2028, along with its sister station in Cullompton over the border in Devon.

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