An expanded service station, new town centre homes and a chiropractic clinic 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.

A39 Bath Road, Bawdrip

The Bawdrip Petrol Station lies at the junction of the A39 Bath Road and the B3141 Woolavington Hill in Bawdrip, a few miles east of Bridgwater,

The site, which is owned by Sterling Petroleum Ltd. and operated by Murco, has been hampered by an “extremely low forecourt canopy”, which “has a history of being struck by high vehicles”.

To ameliorate this issue, the company has applied to have a new higher canopy installed and an above ground tank to allow an additional 35,000 litres of diesel to be stored and sold to customers.

This latter facility should generate additional sales from HGV drivers, with the A39 being one of the main freight routes across Somerset.

The petrol station can expect a growing market in the coming years as Wainhomes begins construction on a development of 175 homes on Woolavington Hill – a development which will involve replacing the existing T-junction with a roundabout.

Planning reference number: 04/24/00007

Green Acres Farm, Doctor’s Hill, Wookey

Green Acres Farm lies at the northern end of Doctor’s Hill, just outside the small village of Wookey near Wells.

The Partners of Rushlands Farm have applied to demolish two of the buildings within the farm compound – one of which is a lambing shed dating back to the 1950s.

Nine dwellings will be constructed in their place if approval is granted, arranged in two blocks near the access point.

Planning reference number: 2024/1685/PAA

15-19 Regent Street, Burnham-on-Sea

This sizeable three-storey building at the corner of High Street and Regent Street has been vacant for more than 13 years.

K. Sander has applied to redevelop the site, delivering eight flats on the first and second floors and a commercial unit on the ground floor.

They believe that delivering these new homes, within walking distance of the town’s seafront, will “deliver an important social role” and help to promote “a strong, vibrant and healthy community.”

Planning reference number: 11/24/00064

Tone Drive, Bridgwater

Tone Drive lies within the Colley Lane industrial estate in south-east Bridgwater, sandwiched between Colley Lane itself and the River Parrett.

Penny Land Foods Ltd., which manufactures frozen food for the catering and hospitality sector, is currently based just down the road on Yeo Road, off the Squibbers Way link road.

The company (which also has a base in Newton Abbot) is now applying to create a purpose-built commercial unit on Tone Drive, including parking facilities for lorries.

Planning reference number: 08/24/00139

Bowlands, A358 Furnham Road, Chard

Philip and Joanne Jones run the Chard Chiropractic Clinic, which is located on the first floor of Essex House Medical Centre on the A30 Fore Street.

The couple applied unsuccessfully in late-2022 to relocate their practice to the Lavington bungalow on the A358 Furnham Road, with South Somerset District Council ruling that “the road safety issues far outweigh the health benefits.”

The couple is now aiming to relocate their business to the Bowlands dwelling on the same road, opposite the AB Autos garage and car dealership.

Planning reference number: 24/01960/FUL

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.