Local News Thursday 25th May

Thursday, 25 May 2023 07:00

By Steve Haigh

Bridgwater is expected to be confirmed as the site to build a major new factory, making batteries for electric vehicles. Permission has been granted to convert the former village shop in Bradford Abbas into a home. A local man who set himself the task of climbing Mount Snowden, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis for charity, has completed the challenge in just twelve days...and more.

Bridgwater is expected to be confirmed as the site to build a significant new factory, making batteries for electric vehicles, creating nine thousand local jobs. The so-called Gigafactory will be located at the Gravity Business Park; a 635-acre "smart campus" currently under construction next to the M5 at Puriton. The Head of the Indian company, Tata, which owns Jaguar Land Rover, is due to meet with the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak next week to draft an agreement to build the Gigafactory in Bridgwater. It’s believed the government has offered Tata a subsidy of five-hundred-million pounds to build the plant in Somerset rather than in Spain.

Councillors have rejected plans for two new housing developments in South Somerset. Plans to build forty-nine homes in Horton near Ilminster, and sixty-seven homes close to Wadham School in Crewkerne, were turned down at a meeting of the South Planning Committee of Somerset Council. This, despite planning officers recommending the applications should be approved. A decision on a planning application to build ninety-five homes in the village of Tatworth, near Chard, was deferred.

Permission has been granted to turn the former village shop and post office in Bradford Abbas into a home. After the shop closed, The Old Post Office House in Church Road was used for tearoom and hairdressing business, but each closed due to a lack of trade.

A man from Barrington, who set himself the task of climbing Mount Snowden, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis for charity, has completed the challenge in just twelve days. Dean Lewis, who works in the ambulance service, was raising money for mental health charities.

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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.