Monday 3rd November

Monday, 3 November 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Plans have been approved to convert Old Viney Bridge Mill in Crewkerne to residential use. The go-ahead has been given to decommission Hinkley Point B nuclear power plant in Somerset. We’re being asked to provide food for hedgehogs that come into our gardens this winter...and more.

Plans have been approved to convert Old Viney Bridge Mill in Crewkerne to residential use. Thirty dwellings will be created within the building, with a further 16 to be built on land once an ancillary building has been demolished. Seventy-seven car parking spaces and 46 cycle spaces will be provided within the site.

The go-ahead has been given to decommission Hinkley Point B nuclear power plant in Somerset, three years after it last produced electricity. EDF, the operator, has been granted permission by the regulator to decommission the plant after being reassured about public safety and environmental risks. The site will now be transferred to Nuclear Restoration Services for the work to be carried out.

We’re being asked to provide food for hedgehogs that come into our gardens this winter. The appeal comes from the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre, which is currently looking after 50 hedgehogs.

A date has been set for when work on building a new training centre for health and social care workers in Somerset will commence. Somerset Council is converting the former community hospital on Salmon Parade in Bridgwater, with building work set to start by Spring 2026. Somerset Council says the centre will address the shortage of trained staff to work within Somerset’s care sector.

Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned changes to the way it licenses charitable collections. The council is responsible for issuing permits for street cash collections and house-to-house collections of money and goods. The changes are aimed at reducing bureaucracy and the cost of running the licensing scheme. If you’d like to comment, you will find the consultation on the Somerset Council website.

More from News

Friday 31st October

There's anger in Chard about a road diversion in place alongside two sets of roadworks through the town. A motorcyclist has been injured in an accident in Bruton. £100,000 has been donated towards re-opening Shepton Mallet’s Amulet theatre...and more
Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been detected at a nature reserve in Somerset, resulting in the closure of part of it. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain...and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .