Daniel Mumby

Construction of 145 homes at Tilia Homes’ Maple Grove site in Crewkerne cannot begin until public footpath CH27/21, which crosses the railway near Cathole Bridge Road, is stopped up for safety reasons. The developer sought permission to start the access road and foundations for up to ten homes before the footpath diversion was completed, offering Network Rail £78,000 for the work. Somerset Council rejected the request, warning that it could allow homes to be started but never completed and leave the landscape blighted indefinitely.

Somerset Council has approved Numatic International’s plans to install 943 solar panels on Building 34 at its Millfield industrial estate factory in Chard. The panels will cover about 3,700 square metres and generate up to 457kW, with installation potentially completed before Christmas. Planning officers said the panels would have minimal effects on the building’s appearance, neighbouring properties, and glare conditions. Numatic, which employs around 1,200 people locally, also received permission in March 2025 for a separate solar farm at the industrial estate.

Somerset Council is spending £34,736 on urgent external accessibility upgrades at Holyrood Academy in Chard before the autumn term, with work being carried out by Adrian Morris & Partners. The improvements aim to make the site more accessible to disabled pupils and staff, while disruption to community users is expected to be limited. Plans to build a new Chard primary school on the academy’s grounds have been paused until at least 2030 because of funding constraints and falling pupil numbers.