A SOMERSET MP has issued a “small apology” after he made allegations against the wrong housing developer in the House of Commons - but the firm which bought the land has said the purchase is for a 'long-term project'.

Ian Liddell-Grainger, who represents Bridgwater and West Somerset, used parliamentary privilege on Thursday (February 14) to make claims about the sale of a substantial parcel of land just outside Taunton.

He claimed Persimmon Homes had paid higher than the asking price for a “speculative development”, and alleged that Taunton Deane Borough Council and a local estate agent had provided the developer with “inside information”.

But following a denial by Persimmon Homes, Mr Liddell-Grainger has admitted that he had named the wrong developer under privilege.

Prior to this apology, he was also reprimanded by Commons speaker John Bercow MP following criticism from his Taunton Deane counterpart.

Speaking on Thursday, Mr Liddell-Grainger asked Andrea Leadsom MP, the leader of the House of Commons, for a debate on house-building companies.

He said: “Recently, based on inside information on a route going from Taunton down to Ilminster, Persimmon [Homes] paid £16 million for a speculative development.

“That has been in conjunction, I suspect, with the local council and a well-known estate agent who was caught price-fixing.

“We need to ensure that when organisations have privileged information, it is not used for other means.”

The site in question – the Orchard Portman farm near Taunton Racecourse – lies on the B3170, a key route to and from Taunton over the Blackdown Hills.

It was sold by Savills at auction in December 2018, with a guide price of £11.72m for a total of 1,143 acres (463 hectares).

Following Mr Liddell-Grainger’s comments, Commons speaker John Bercow MP said he had not received written notice that the MP would reference another constituency – notice which he had given on previous occasions.

Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow subsequently asked what recourse MPs had when “serious, damaging and unfounded allegations” were made about their constituency – referring to previous comments from Mr Liddell-Grainger, when he likened Taunton town centre to Aleppo in war-torn Syria.

Mr Bercow responded: “Members take responsibility for what they say in the House and for its impact outside this House.

“The privilege of free speech must be used maturely and with sensitivity. It is no part of a right honourable or honourable member’s role to be merely abusive or insulting.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said there had been a “glitch” in notifying Ms Pow on this most recent occasion, adding that he had subsequently written to her to apologise and had “cleared the air” with Mr Bercow in person.

But he defended raising the issue in the Commons, citing the impact that any proposal on this site could have on his own constituents.

He said: “Major national house-builders regularly amass long-term land banks, and this practice is understandable and legal. But it is rare to see such a high price paid for a speculative plot.

“This particular parcel of land is situated to the east side of the M5 in an area currently considered out of bounds for any housing or other development.

“What makes the difference is the imminent announcement of a preferred route for the A358 express-way.

“With the advent of such a road the legitimate use of the land could quickly change. There is room on the land for up to 10,000 houses.

“Taunton Deane Borough Council is the planning authority. It is hard to believe that they have not considered the possibilities.

“The A358 programme will directly affect my constituents because it is a major artery. Taunton Deane Borough Council recently swallowed up West Somerset Council – 35,000 of my constituents are effectively ruled from Taunton.”

Somerset West and Taunton Council will officially replace the two existing councils on April 1, with their existing headquarters in both Taunton and Williton being retained for the immediate future.

The site was not included in Taunton Deane’s most recent development management plan, which was published in 2016.

Persimmon Homes has categorically denied that it had purchased the site, stating: “Persimmon Homes does not own the land.”

When presented with this statement, Mr Liddell-Grainger said his source had made an “innocent error” and clarified that the site had in fact been purchased by Taylor Wimpey.

He said: “This land is indeed being sold for housing. But, in addition to the people of Aleppo, I now owe Persimmon a small apology.  Better luck next time?”

Taylor Wimpey confirmed it has purchased the site for £12.5m – not the £16m Mr Liddell-Grainger claimed.

It rejected his allegations of “inside information”, stating it had bought the site on the basis of information from the landowner’s agent and had carried out its own due diligence before deciding to bid for it.

A spokesperson said: “We completed the purchase of an area of land to the south-east of Taunton in December 2018.

“This will be a long-term project and we will seek feedback from the local community on our proposals in due course.”

Taunton Deane Borough Council was approached on Friday (February 15) but did not respond to a request for comment.