A Somerset MP has said she will continue pushing for a new railway station in her constituency following the publication of plans for new homes near one of the identified sites.

Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, has been campaigning to restore rail services since she was first elected in July 2023, building on the work of the Langport Transport Group and other volunteers.

A public consultation concluded on Monday (July 28) into the Northern Trust's plans to build 150 homes east of Ricksey Lane in Somerton – one of two sites identified for a possible new station within a strategic outline business case completed in February 2022.

Ms Dyke has said that she will continue to push for better public transport in the local area, and would be asking for the developers to make a financial contribution towards any further railway station studies.

MPs do not have any formal role in the planning process, though they will occasionally write to the local authority about a specific issue or assist their constituents with any formal representation they wish to make.

Ms Dyke – who represented the Blackmoor Vale division on Somerset Council until October 2024 – said: "Northern Trust's planning application for the St. Cleers site has yet to be submitted, let alone approved.

"While I am following their proposal with interest, at this stage I cannot comment on the impact that their proposed development may have on the delivery of a new railway station.

"I am regularly in touch with Great Western Railway (GWR), Somerset Council and the Langport Transport Group to explore ways in which the proposal for a new station at Langport can be driven forward, along with alternative ways in which local public transport can be improved generally, such as integrated bus-rail travel options.

"If the council was to deem it appropriate, I would be supportive of a Section 106 contribution towards the further development of the proposal for a new station at Langport."

Ms Dyke used a parliamentary debate on July 8 (in the aftermath of the government's spending review) to push the transport secretary on supporting a new station for her area.

She said: "Residents in Somerton and Langport are isolated from the railway line that runs right through the area.

"Some 50,000 residents could benefit from a new station, but hopes for that station took a massive hit when the chancellor cancelled the restoring your railway fund.

"What steps will the secretary of state take to introduce train links for communities such as Somerton and Langport?

"In the shorter term, will she commit to expanding integrated bus routes, so that my constituents can get to the nearest railway station?"

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander responded: "We will publish an integrated national transport strategy later this year to address precisely the sort of issues that the honourable member raises about the criticality of bus links to stations in the absence of a new station.

"My predecessor [Louise Haigh MP] and the chancellor took the decision to cancel the restoring your railway programme because it was unaffordable in its entirety.

"Where schemes offer good value for money and really transformative benefits for the local economy – such as the Wellington and Cullompton schemes, and the Portishead scheme that we have announced – I hope that we have shown that we are prepared to look at them and take them forward."

The Northern Trust is expected to submit a formal planning application for its new development by the early-autumn.