A NEW homes for a beloved ice cream brand, self-storage units and an extension to a farm shop 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.

Wibble Farm, nr. Williton

Styles Ice Cream has operated successfully since 1988 from its current base from Styles Farm in the small village of Rodhuish, on the eastern edge of the Exmoor National Park a short distance from Minehead.

To expand its operation, the company has purchased the entirety of the Wibble Farm Nurseries site, which lies on the southern side of the A39 between Williton and the Quantock Hills national landscape (formerly area of outstanding natural beauty, or AONB).

This will allow Styles to “regenerate the whole of the site to create a place that can support and enhance the local community, economy, nature recovery and transition to net zero.”

To kick-start the transition and allow it to expand its business, a new light industrial unit is planned for the northern edge of the site, near the existing access road.

Up to 56 new jobs will be created if the plans are approved, though the majority of these will be part-time.

Planning reference number: 3/39/24/001

George Smith Way, Yeovil

The Abbey Manor Group has gradually been building out the various plots within the Lufton Trading Estate – originally with the backing of South Somerset District Council, but enjoying sole ownership of the land since March 2023.

Under this latest development (within phase two of the site), 72 self-storage containers will be erected at the southern end of George Smith Way, opposite the junction with Artillery Road.

An attenuation pond will be provided at the south-western corner of the site, near the pedestrian access to the Agusta Park development site.

Planning reference number: 23/02217/FUL

Sandys Moor, Wiveliscombe

Barratt Homes has been delivering 94 homes within the Elworthy Place development site on Sandys Moor, at the eastern edge of Wiveliscombe.

SCF Fabrication has now applied to build six light industrial units south of the existing homes, not far from the village’s rural enterprise centre.

If approved, the new units will provide more than 5,000 sq m of employment space within easy reach of Taunton, Wellington and the Exmoor National Park.

Planning reference number: 49/23/0057

Gurney Street, Cannington

Cannington has seen dozens of new homes built in recent years as the village has taken its share of people moving to Somerset, including those working on the Hinkley Point C construction site.

Mr D. Popham’s proposals for this greenfield site are rather more modest in scale, delivering five detached properties with a new access onto Gurney Street.

He intends for each of the five plots to  be self-build – which, he argued, would “provide cheaper housing provision for local people compared to the
cost of standard open market properties.”

Planning reference number: 13/23/00028

Blackmore Lane, Cannington

The owners of Blackmore Farm, on the western edge of Cannington, have operated the farm successfully for many years as well as running a popular farm shop.

But with the basic payments scheme changing, the owners (Dyer & Co) are looking to diversify their business by converting an existing agricultural business into a new commercial outlet.

The building may form an extension to the farm shop or it may be leased to a separate operator – only time will tell if approval is granted.

Planning reference number: 13/23/00033