PLANS to develop a car park in Somerset have been revealed this week.

An application has been submitted to create an extension to Kilve car park - which will add 19 more parking spaces.

The space is currently used as a car park, but the plans include hard surfacing the grassy areas.

There are also plans to keep the camera and two ticket machines that are currently in the proposed extension, as well as the removal of four signs and a redundant ticket machine. As well as this, the proposal also includes hard surfacing of the original car park.

The site is owned by The East Quantoxhead Estate, which has been owned by the Luttrell family for nearly 700 years.

Somerset County Gazette: Proposed extension areaProposed extension area

The application says the site is "used fairly and regularly" and has "insufficient space" to accommodate the amount of vehicles that use it.

The application states: "This has led to ad hoc parking on the nearby by grass verges leaving them churned up, boggy and in poor condition. This application will formalise this use and provides for additional areas of hardstanding to prevent further degradation."

There are currently 13 signs on the site, but four are to be removed if planning permission is approved.

At the moment, there are four objections to the proposals on the planning application.

Residents are concerned that the plans are an "eyesore" and will have a "negative environmental impact".

One said: "The natural environment will be permanently altered and in part destroyed."

Another added: "Extending the car park has created and eyesore as well as a negative environmental impact. What used to be an attractive verge with wild areas for wildlife has now become an ugly, muddy bog. Plus the new signs also create a negative visual impact not fitting for an AONB."