Housing maps show where land is being eyed for new homes
By Laura Linham 26th Jul 2026
Land around Wells, Shepton Mallet, Street and Glastonbury has appeared in Somerset Council maps showing where future development could be considered. The maps form part of the council's first Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment for the new Somerset Local Plan.
The assessment is not a list of approved housing sites. It is an early technical exercise used to test whether land put forward by owners, developers and other promoters might be suitable, available and achievable for development.
For readers, though, it offers the clearest sign yet of where the pressure points could be as Somerset prepares a single Local Plan to replace the separate plans inherited from the former district councils. Around the four Mendip towns, the land is mostly clustered on the edges of existing built-up areas.
What the maps show around Wells
Around Wells, the largest concentration of mapped land is on the western side of the city. Several adjoining and overlapping areas appear between the edge of Wells and Haybridge, including land around the A371, Portway and Wookey Hole Road.
Land is also shown to the north-west, including the area around Orchard Lea, where a separate outline application for up to 73 homes is already in the planning system. Further areas appear to the south-west of Wells, on the approaches from Glastonbury and Coxley.
The important caveat is that some boundaries overlap. That means the map cannot be read as showing a neat number of separate future housing estates, or as a council promise that all the land will be built on.
What the maps show around Shepton Mallet
In Shepton Mallet, the mapped land is spread across several sides of the town. Much of it lies to the south and west, including land towards Cannard's Grave and along routes leading towards Pilton and Wells.
Other areas appear around Charlton and the eastern edge of Shepton Mallet. The maps also include land associated with existing proposals and allocations, including areas on the southern side of the town where major development has already been considered separately through the planning system.
As with the other towns, the assessment shows land being tested, not land being approved. A site can appear in the study and still be ruled out later.
What the maps show around Street
Street has one of the largest concentrations of mapped land among the four towns. Much of it lies to the west and south-west, towards Walton, where several submissions sit close together or overlap between the existing built-up area and the surrounding countryside.
Other areas are shown to the north around the A39 and Gravenchon Way, and along the southern edge of Street towards Somerton and Compton Dundon. Land between Street and Glastonbury also appears in the assessment, making some boundaries difficult to assign cleanly to one town.
That matters because Street and Glastonbury already sit close together. Any future choices in that corridor are likely to attract close attention from residents on both sides.
What the maps show around Glastonbury
Around Glastonbury, much of the land shown is on the northern and north-eastern edges of the town. The maps include areas around Wells Road and Old Wells Road, with further land extending towards Wick.
Other sites appear to the west around Beckery and the Meare Road corridor. Smaller areas are also shown to the south and south-west of the town centre, close to the boundary with Street.
Again, this does not mean development is coming to those sites. It means the council has recorded and assessed land that may be considered as the Local Plan work continues.
Why is Somerset Council doing this?
Somerset Council is preparing a new Local Plan that will guide development up to 2045. Before deciding where homes, employment space and other development should go, the council has to understand what land may be available.
Most of the sites came through a call for sites held in early 2025. The assessment also includes land submitted during earlier work by the former Mendip District Council, along with some existing Local Plan allocations.
The result is a long list of possible sites, not a shortlist of chosen ones. Some will fall away as more detailed work is carried out.
Has anything been approved?
No. Inclusion in the assessment does not allocate the land, grant planning permission or mean Somerset Council supports development on that site.
The council's early work considers whether land might be suitable, available and achievable. The strongest wording at this stage is "potentially suitable", which is still a long way from approval.
Detailed issues such as landscape impact, roads, access, infrastructure and local constraints will need further consideration. Residents will also be consulted before the council settles on preferred development options.
Why residents should pay attention
The maps matter because they show the land now in the conversation. They reveal where landowners and promoters believe development could happen, and where Somerset Council may need to make difficult choices.
They also show why the next stages of the Local Plan will be closely watched in Wells, Shepton Mallet, Street and Glastonbury. Housing numbers, road pressure, school places, flood risk, landscape impact and the character of each town are all likely to feature heavily once preferred sites are put forward.
The next version of the assessment is expected to be published alongside a future Local Plan consultation. Until then, the maps are best read as an early warning system rather than a final verdict.
Where to see the maps
Residents can view the council's interactive HELAA maps through Somerset Council's Local Plan Call for Sites page.
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