A new community hall, a solar farm and affordable homes within a larger development site are among the schemes people are trying to get planning permission for in Somerset.

Every week, hundreds of planning applications are submitted to Somerset Council for determination – and we have selected some of the most interesting proposals.

Most plans will be decided by council planning officers, using their legally delegated powers, but some of the most significant or contentious will go before one of the council’s five planning committees.

Planning committees are made up of elected councillors, but the decisions they make should be decided based on the council’s planning policies, not local politics.

Pearce Drive, Highbridge

Sedgemoor District Council originally intended for the community facilities being offered at Morland Hall to be relocated to an upgraded site at Trowbridge Close, as part of a bid to the government’s levelling up fund.

This bid – which also included enhancements to Highbridge’s flood defences and better cycling links to Apex Park – was ultimately unsuccessful, losing out to plans for a health and social care academy in Bridgwater (with a satellite site in Minehead).

The Burnham and Highbridge Community Plan describes the current facilities as “inadequate” for the community’s needs, especially with the closure of the local library and social club on the Morland estate.

The Sedgemoor Community Partnership has now put forward plans to demolish the existing Morland Hall on Pearce Drive and replace it with a more modern structure.

A spokesman said: “We have a mission to create an accessible community focal point that provides a comfortable and welcoming venue for all with a much-needed programme of use.

“The design of the new building places an emphasis on sustainable design and
construction,renewable energy and being contextually responsive

“The new building replaces several currently decaying structures that are no longer fit for purpose and will secure for the community,the long-term benefit that Morland Community Hub provides.”

Planning reference number: 11/24/00053

Sterling Way, North Petherton

The southern edge of North Petherton has seen significant housing growth in the last few years, with Barratt Homes recently selling out the last of its 130 properties on the Royal View development off the A38 Taunton Road.

Axeus Group Ltd. has now submitted plans for a further 14 homes south of Sterling Way within the Royal View site, not far from the neighbouring Chaucer’s Meadow site delivered by Persimmon Homes South West.

Each of these 14 new properties will be affordable, meaning they will be offered at up to 80 per cent of the going market rate.

Planning reference number: 37/24/00078

Manor Farm, A371 Main Street, Prestleigh 

Large sections of Manor Farm in Prestleigh, near the Royal Bath and West Showground, have already been taken out of active use as part of a phosphate mitigation scheme, designed to unlock around 1,400 homes within the River Brue catchment area.

These latest plans by Manor Farm Mendip Ltd. will see existing agricultural buildings within the site converted into ten residential properties.

The applicant has argued this will reduce the “amount and type of traffic” using the A371 towards Evercreech and Shepton Mallet, “providing a benefit in highway safety terms”.

Planning reference number: 2024/1768/PAA

Old Wells Road, Stoke St. Michael

Somerset Council identified in August that Moonshill Quarry near Stoke St. Michael may need to expand in the coming years to demand local and national demand for road surfacing materials.

John Wainwright and Co. Ltd., which manages the site, has now applied to build a solar farm south of Old Wells Road to provide renewable energy to the site.

If approved, a new cable will be laid under Old Wells Road to the quarry site to provide power for the quarry’s operation, reducing the impact on the landscape of the Mendip Hills.

Planning reference number: 2024/1650/FUL

Railway Street, Taunton

Acorn Developments has secured planning permission for a number of decently-sized developments over the last 12 months, including 48 flats at Grimsby Corner in Yeovil and 44 flats at the Firepool Lock site on the A3087 Trenchard Way in Taunton.

These latest plans concern a site at the corner of Railway Street and William Street, mere yards from the developer’s Taunton headquarters.

The proposals will see Watcombe House redeveloped into two dwellings and a further four properties being erected near the nearby MOT centre.

Planning reference number: 38/24/0303

To comment on any of these applications (and others), visit www.somerset.gov.uk/planning-buildings-and-land/view-and-comment-on-a-planning-application.