Proposals for 800 homes in Yeovil could be given the final sign-off on Wednesday (April 8) at the district council’s first ever virtual committee meeting.

Plans were first put forward in 2015 for the major development on the A37 Dorchester Road (known as the Keyford site) – one of two key “urban extensions” identified by South Somerset District Council.

The current plans – which also include a 65-bed care home, a community hall, a primary school and 2.58 hectares of employment land – were approved by the council’s area south committee back in December 2019.

Now the same committee will meet virtually to discuss improvements to local transport which will be provided by the developers – including changes to the busy Quicksilver roundabout.

When the plans were approved, the committee ruled it would subsequently need to approve changes to the roundabout and a planned new cycle path into the town centre before construction could commence.

The different roads approaching the roundabout may need to be widened to ensure traffic from the new development can flow smoothly in and out of Yeovil.

However, the changes will not be implemented until at least 500 of the new homes have been built, after a transport study concluded there was “no overriding evidence” for more capacity being immediately needed.

A new roundabout will be constructed south of the Quicksilver roundabout at the start of the development, linking the northern end of the site to the A37 just south of Two Towers Lane.

Improvements will also be made to the local cycling network to encourage more people to cycle to and from the new development.

Pavements on Hendford Hill will be widened near the Horsey roundabout, with a new cycle path being built to connect the Southwoods residential area with the Lovers Lane right of way, which connects Hendford Hill with Dorchester Road.

The Keyford developers are expected to provide £707,000 towards the cost of these improvements – £575,000 for the cycle path and £132,000 for the Quicksilver roundabout.

The Keyford proposals will be discussed by the area south committee members at a virtual meeting on Wednesday (April 8) at 2pm.

Members of the public are welcome to dial in by visiting www.zoom.us/join – the meeting number is 775 475 691 and the password is 016384.