Wednesday 22nd October

Wednesday, 22 October 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

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 .

A major house builder in the South West, Chris Winter of West of England Developments, says government targets for new house building in Somerset are unrealistic. The government plans to build one and a half million new homes in England by 2029, with 75,000 of them in Somerset. It represents a 41% increase in the county's house building target..

Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil following the collapse into administration of its owners, DC London Pie Ltd. The Yeovil outlet, located on the Old Town Station Leisure Park, near Cineworld, is one of sixty-eight Pizza Huts closing across the UK, putting 1,200 jobs at risk.

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has accused the Chancellor of ‘turning her back’ on farmers. It follows reports that Rachel Reeves won’t amend or repeal the Family Farm Tax in next month’s Budget. Mr Dance says that for the government to press on with a tax that is causing real harm to family farms is utterly foolish.

The go-ahead has been given to build 43 new homes in Queen Camel. The homes will be built on land off West Camel Road, opposite Rectory Close. A new junction will be created to provide access to the development, along with new pavements laid along West Camel Road, which will give access to Queen Camel Medical Centre and Countess Gytha Primary School. Developers at Ashford Homes say construction is expected to begin early in the New Year.

A Yeovil care home has been rated as ‘overall good’ by the Care Quality Commission. Springview care home in Preston Grove provides support to people with learning and physical disabilities. Following an inspection in 2021, the home was found in breach of a regulation relating to staffing. The new report, based on an inspection in August this year, found “significant improvements” had been made, and that the home was no longer in breach.

Staff at Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow, spending the night alongside rescue dogs. The centre provides refuge and rehabilitation to more than 300 animals, with tomorrow’s event raising much-needed funds to pay towards running costs.

More from News

Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more