Taunton Urban Design Framework - Taunton Deane Borough Council

Housing GrowthThe focus for new housing is the town centre. Areas suchas Firepool, Tangier and the Cricket Club will collectivelyprovide approximately 2000 residential units through a mixof townhouses and flats. The town centre cannot howevermeet all housing needs to 2021.A detailed assessment* concluded that:• There is a need for 6-8,000 additional dwellings by 2021.• This will require additional greenfield housingdevelopment.• The preferred form is a sustainable ‘urban extension’to Taunton.• An urban extension should provide for around 3-4,000additional dwellings to support a range of communityfacilities, employment, education and transportinfrastructure.There are very few locations where such a scale ofdevelopment could be accommodated on the urban fringeof Taunton. The preferred location** for such adevelopment is considered to be Monkton Heathfield onthe basis of:• Relatively low landscape impact.• Sustainable transport links.• Complementary employment proposals.• Benefits for residents in deprived wards.• Efficient use of land and infrastructure.Urban extension context* Technical Appendix: Economic Assessment** See ‘Urban Extension Study’ for detailed assessment of alternative locations.18 OpportunitiesSection 2Taunton UDF