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.

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Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more