A hilltop park, community orchard, affordable homes and investment in schools are among the community benefits a new housing development in Watchet will bring, Edenstone has revealed.

The homebuilder is preparing to start work on land south of Doniford Road and Normandy Avenue.

Reserved matters approval from Somerset Council was secured last June.

Edenstone operations director Chris Edge said: “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes since our plans were approved and are now gearing up to start work on 139 new homes at Underwood Gardens in Watchet. Addressing local housing need, affordable housing will account for 35% of the development. There’ll be lots of open space for residents to enjoy as we’ll be creating two village greens, a hilltop park with play area, community orchard and seating areas looking towards the Quantock Hills and the Severn Estuary.

“We’ll also be investing in the local area, having agreed community contributions worth more than £750,000. Most of this funding has been allocated to pre-school and primary education locally to support the growth of the neighbourhood. There’ll also be funding for travel plans.”

The affordable homes will include one and two-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom coach houses, plus two, three and four-bedroom homes. These will be available for intermediate and social rent via a registered social landlord.

There will be a good choice of private sale properties with two to four-bedrooms, including 20 bungalows. The housing mix is designed to cater for all sectors of the community, with something for almost every buyer and budget.

The majority of the homes will benefit from electric vehicle charging points.

“Bungalows are the rarest of new builds but will account for more than a fifth of our private sale properties in Watchet,” Chris added.

“The bungalows will be among the homes that will overlook the new hilltop park and existing woodland. This area will be carefully managed to protect and enhance its biodiversity and ecology, while giving the development a rural or garden suburb feel.”

The homes have been designed to reference the existing materials palette and architectural character of Watchet.

There will be a stone dressed hedge bank at the entrance to the site to link back to the rural vernacular of the area. New tree lined streets and green corridors will be created providing a joined up green network of spaces

Edenstone anticipates releasing the first of its new homes in Watchet for sale off plan this winter, with a show home expected to open in early 2026.

The Watchet site will be the company’s second development to launch in Somerset. The company is building and selling new homes at Eden’s Green in Bleadon, with future developments in East Brent and West Huntspill coming later in the year

For more information and to register interest in the new homes at Underwood Gardens in Watchet see https://edenstonehomes.com/developments/watchet.