Monday 24th November

Monday, 24 November 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

A church leader has warned that “irrevocable damage” will be caused to town centres if Somerset Council starts charging for Sunday parking. Fifty new homes are to be built in Castle Cary following a successful planning appeal. A call has been made for a memorial to the victims who died in a plane crash on the Blackdown Hills 80 years ago...and more.

A church leader has warned that the introduction of Sunday car parking charges in Somerset will do “irrevocable damage” to town centres. Somerset Council held a consultation in September and October on implementing Sunday parking charges across all its car parks. But Judith Butler, a pastor at Kingdom Faith Church in Taunton, says implementing the charges will damage Somerset’s struggling high streets, with fewer people using the car parks to shop, eat out and attend religious services. The results of the consultation show that 93 per cent of respondents either disagree or strongly disagree with charging for Sunday parking. Somerset Council is due to decide on the issue before the end of December.

Fifty new homes are to be built in Castle Cary following a successful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate by developers Castle Cary LLP. Their application to build off South Street, close to the town’s cemetery, was turned down by Somerset Council’s planning committee in January. But after a planning inspector visited the site, the decision was overturned. In his report, the Inspector dismissed concerns that the new homes would harm the town's conservation area, saying the site was "almost wholly screened" by mature trees and other vegetation.

A call’s been made for a permanent memorial to the twenty-seven people who died in a plane crash on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset 80 years ago. The flight had taken off from the Merryfield air base near Ilminste with mostly military personnel on board when it crashed near Hare Lane at Castle Neroche on November 22nd 1945. Diana Hughes, whose father, Major Harry Staunton, was one of those killed, is asking for a permanent plaque to be put up in Buckland St Mary church in memory of all those who died.

A ten-million-pound upgrade of Bridgwater's Dunball roundabout, that's led to a year of disruption, has been completed. The junction connects junction 23 to the town. Somerset Council says the new 'through-about' will help ease congestion in the town.

Wells MP Tessa Munt says people living with chronic fatigue and ME are desperate, calling on the government to speed up investment into care and research into the condition. The government has spent over £6 million on ME research over the last five years. Still, a plan to tackle ME published in July admitted that resources to turn the research into action were inadequate.

A top international award has been given to the school in Wincanton. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Primary School has been presented with a Live Simply Award by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development for its efforts in supporting struggling communities around the world.

More from News

Friday 21st November

A public inquiry is being held into plans to build a large solar farm in the village of Wayford. Fire crews have put out a small blaze at Tesco in Ilminster. Canadian firm KDC One is closing its Wellington factory, putting dozens of jobs at risk. It's Ilminster's turn to switch on the Christmas lights tonight... and more.
Thursday 20th November

Taunton Town Council has agreed to provide funding for five years to support the town's Brewhouse Theatre. The Environment Agency is warning that Somerset could experience a drought next spring if this winter is drier than usual. We’re being asked to look out for rough sleepers during the current cold snap...and more
Wednesday 19th November

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for stronger preventative measures to stop sewage discharges into local waterways. Somerset Council is to provide three new children's homes across the County. Street Football Club has appointed a father-and-son team to manage the club... and more.
Tuesday 18th November

Somerset Council has set up a task force to help identify land for a permanent traveller’s site in the county. Police are appealing for information after a charity shop in Martock was targeted by burglars. A Somerset woman is seeking individuals with a connection to the armed forces to join a new amateur rowing club...and more.
Monday 17th November

Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are threatening further strike action. Dunelm says its Yeovil store in the Quedam will reopen on Tuesday, December 16th. A nurse working at Yeovil Hospital has won a place in the final of Miss England...and more.
Friday 14th November

Yeovil Hospital has introduced a new system for handling patients at its A&E department aimed at cutting waiting times. It’s claimed that an Iron Age settlement preserved under Somerset's wetlands for 2,000 years is facing erosion due to climate change. Montacute Road in Tintinhull will be closed for five days next week for repairs to a gas main.
Thursday 13th November

Workers at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil are taking part in a second day of strike action in their dispute over pay. Lloyds Bank has closed its branch in Chard permanently. A week-long programme of tree planting will be held at Ham Hill later this month to mark National Tree Week...and more
Wednesday 12th November

Workers belonging to the Unite union at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil begin a two-day strike today. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, has been speaking in a parliamentary debate on improving dyslexia support in schools. South Western Ambulance Service is inviting applications for positions on its governing council...and more