Local News Friday 28th May

Friday, 21 May 2021 06:00

Two former Beales department stores in Yeovil have been snapped up by new owners this week. A wooden stable block has been destroyed in a fire at Kingsbury Episcopi. Plans for a new railway station on the line between Castle Cary and Taunton on the Somerset Levels have taken a step forward. A petition’s been launched to have an off-road cycling track built in South Somerset. A newly formed pressure group in Chard is demanding plans for new homes in the town be refused...and more.

Two former Beales department stores in Yeovil have been snapped up by new owners this week. Formerly the home of Denners, the two separate sites are located on High Street in the heart of Yeovil town centre. The sites were due to go to auction with digital property marketplace BidX1 on Wednesday (26-05) but due to high interest in the lots and a large number of pre-auction bids, the pair were both sold before the planned auction began, according to John Connolly, surveyor at BidX1.

A wooden stable block has been destroyed in a fire at Kingsbury Episcopi, near Martock. It happened in Pulpitsway Drove at around 10 pm on Wednesday night.

Plans for a new railway station on the line between Castle Cary and Taunton on the Somerset Levels have taken a step forward. It follows the granting of £50,000 by local councillors to fund a feasibility study into the project. The station would be built around the area of Langport and Somerton which had stations before they were closed by the Beeching cuts of the1960's.

A petition’s been launched to have an off-road cycling track built in South Somerset. The petition’s been organised by Mark Hughes of 1st Chard Wheelers. They’re asking for a two-kilometer tarmac loop circuit, with amenities, to be provided somewhere in the Yeovil area. They say the track is needed because there is nowhere in South Somerset for people to cycle off-road in safety.

A newly formed pressure group in Chard is demanding plans for new homes in the town be refused, arguing they will not deliver the local facilities that were promised. ‘Residents 4 A Better Chard’ has published a formal assessment of the plans to build 252 homes on the A358 Tatworth Road. They claim the scheme will not provide the improved roads, schools, and health facilities that the town badly needs.

Police are investigating the theft of valuable silverware from the Eastbury Hotel in Sherborne. The theft was discovered early on Monday morning. The items are valued at £25,000 and the hotel has appealed for their safe return. Anyone who can help is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.