Construction begins on social housing in Taunton Pub

Somerset West and Taunton City Council announced in 2020 that it had plans to demolish the Oxford Inn on Roman Road and replace it with “11 affordable homes”.

The council's planning committee had already approved revised proposals to build eight instead of the original eleven houses on the brownfield site in November 2022.

Implementation of the scheme has been delayed since that date by the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing phosphate crisis, with additional mitigation measures being put in place in housing to prevent damage in the Somerset Levels and Moors.

Somerset County Council (which replaced the county council in April 2023) has now announced the appointment of a contractor to carry out the work and confirmed that work will start in the autumn.

An artist's impression of the new houses on the site of the Oxford Inn. (Image: Somerset Council)

Each of the new one or two bedroom homes will be built as a carbon neutral development, using similar methods to those being built for social housing at the Rainbow Way site in Minehead or as part of the North Taunton Woolaway regeneration programme.

The cost of the project, including unforeseen expenses, is estimated at just under £2.3 million.

About half of the project costs are to be covered by revenue from the Right-to-Buy program (i.e. the sale of existing social housing), the other half is to be financed by loans agreed as part of the municipality's investment program in February.

A spokesman said: “The Oxford Inn scheme has been revised to provide eight new low-carbon homes to rent on affordable terms.

“While the number of apartments increased by three [from the original plans]The size of two apartments was increased from one to two bedrooms.

“The project is expected to start on site in October and be completed in December 2025.”

The council is expected to name its chosen contractor once the statutory standstill period expires later this summer.