Tuesday 5th November

Tuesday, 5 November 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The A303 between Ilchester and Sparkford can now be used as a dual carriageway for the first time. People living in rural parts of South Somerset may not get high-speed broadband until 2027. Plans have been submitted to build 150 new homes on the site of the former Horlicks Factory in Ilminster...and more

National Highways say the A303 between Ilchester and Sparkford can now be used for the first time as a dual carriageway. It follows the completion of two years of work dualling the road, with lanes in both directions between Ilchester and Sparkford now open to traffic, and speed restrictions that had been in operation lifted.

People living in rural parts of South Somerset may not get high-speed broadband until 2027. Installer, Airband, had promised to connect 55 thousand properties across Devon and Somerset to full fibre broadband by the end of 2025 but now says that’s unlikely to happen. Airband has told 'Connecting Devon and Somerset' the company who awarded them the contract, that only around 30,000 homes are likely to get high-speed broadband, and that won’t be until 2027.

Plans have been submitted to build 150 new homes on the site of the former Horlicks Factory in Ilminster. The 22-hectare site is divided by Station Road and includes the creation of a flood alleviation channel adjacent to the River Isle. If the application is approved, the new homes will be built to the north of Station Road, with a mix of different-use buildings, including offices, general industrial, and drive-thru uses, on the southern half of the site.

The former Conservative group leader on Somerset County Council, David Fothergill has welcomed the choice of Kemi Badenoch as new Leader of the Conservative party. He says as the first major political party in Europe to choose a black woman as a Leader, the Conservatives are leading the way in inclusivity and diversity.

NHS Somerset has been shortlisted for a Health Service Journal Award for its work with the Armed Forces hub, Ark. The Ark project, based at Egwood near Merriot, provides care and support to serving and retired military personnel and is partly funded by NHS Somerset.

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