Nearly 350 new homes could be built on the southern edge of Bridgwater if new plans are approved by district councillors.

Sedgemoor District Council voted in late March to approve the design principles of phase two of the Bridgwater Gateway site, which will deliver hundreds of new homes and much-needed jobs on the A38 Taunton Road, not far from Junction 24 of the M5.

Boklok UK Ltd. has now submitted plans for 346 homes on its section of the site, along with a 66-bed care home and an extension to the nearby Stockmoor and Willstock Country Park.

The council is expected to make a decision on the plans by the end of the year – with separate proposals for the remaining homes within the site to be brought forward by another developer at a later date.

Boklok – which is jointly owned by Skanska and Ikea – intends to deliver a mixture of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes to the north of the existing commercial units on Compass Avenue, near the existing Premier Inn and Costa Coffee branch.

The homes will be divided into two sections of the site with two separate access roads from Compass Avenue – with the care home and roughly one-third of the homes being reached by the eastern route.

The other two thirds of the homes will be reached from a northern spur road – with a spine road being extended and leaving room for further development at the site’s western edge, as envisioned in the design masterplan.

At the northern edge of the site, eight hectares of communal green space will be set aside, with the Stockmoor and Willstock Country Park being extended and both play spaces and communal barbecue pits being provided to “promote togetherness” among the new residents.

The new homes, if approved, will be built using “modern methods of construction”, with the homes being manufactured off-site to reduce waste and with high-quality Ikea fixtures and fittings as standard.

Dylan May, land and planning director at BoKlok, said: “Following a consultation process led by BoKlok, a development and design principles document was approved by the council in March.

“We are now excited to have been able to submit a detailed planning application for consideration by the council and consultees.

“We are passionate about delivering highly sustainable homes for the many people.

“We believe that our proposal will deliver much-needed family housing for the area, while the vast landscaping and green space will accommodate local wildlife and provide an attractive and usable space for the whole community to enjoy.”

Phil Wade, development manager of the Bridgwater Gateway site, added: “Sustainable features and modern methods of construction give BoKlok homes a key differentiation in the housing market.

“Their homes are not only delivered more sustainably but they are designed to minimise occupant’s day-to-day impact on the environment by using less energy, meaning the costs of heating, and running a BoKlok home are significantly reduced.”

While the current designs for the development show the country park being extended, they do not indicate how the two elements either side of Willstock Way will be connected.

Councillor Bill Revans, whose North Petherton ward includes the Bridgwater Gateway site, warned in late-March that the new homes could feel cut off from the rest of Bridgwater if necessary infrastructure like roads, footpaths and new school places were not provided quickly.

Speaking at the time, he said: “We have five active building sites in North Petherton at the moment, including the last phase of Willstock – and now we have Boklok, and they go up up quicker than Persimmon do, that’s their unique selling point.

“Please can we make sure that we’ve got a sufficiency of education places, because this is heading to a real logjam.

“We’re very aware that the phosphates issue isn’t affecting development across Somerset – everywhere else it’s stalled, here they’re slamming the accelerator down. We need to make sure we keep the infrastructure ahead of the game.

“This site needs to connect through to Willstock Village and through to Stockmoor much better than it does at the moment. I have a fear that it will be a ghetto at the end of a cul-de-sac, and I really think we’re missing an opportunity here.”

For more information on the Boklok proposals, visit www.boklokbridgwatergateway.co.uk.