Plans for new homes near a Somerset railway station have been refused by district councillors – in less than ten minutes.

Lawsh One Ltd. applied in February 2018 to build 19 houses on the former Knights Templar Court Nursing Home site, a stone's throw from Templecombe railway station.

South Somerset District Council originally considered approving the plans in November 2018, but the developer has refused to sign a legal agreement committing it to delivering affordable housing on the site.

As a result, the council's regulation committee voted on Tuesday morning (July 20) to refuse permission, meaning the homes will no longer be built.

The dispute between the council and the Wimborne-based developer centres over three points:

Provision of three affordable homes (out of 19) on the site itself

A financial contribution to further affordable homes off-site (which could be brought forward as part of a separate scheme)

Provision of a travel plan, showing how car journeys to and from the site would be minimised

Planning officer Martin Lee told the committee on Tuesday (July 20): "Despite repeated correspondence, the applicant's solicitor has confirmed they have no instruction to complete the legal agreement.

"In the absence of a completed legal agreement, we are basically forced to return this application to the committee."

Neither the developer nor its agent attended the meeting, which was live-streamed over the council's YouTube channel.

Councillor William Wallace – whose Blackmoor Vale ward includes Templecombe – described the decision as a "fait accompli" in light of the applicants' unresponsiveness.

He said: "There seems to be silence from the applicants. This recommendation is the way it should be – I mean, if they haven't replied, we've still got these three nagging points. It seems very simple."

After less than minutes' deliberation, the committee voted unanimously to refuse the plans.