Wednesday 24th December

Wednesday, 24 December 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.

A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements costing £15 million to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The works include improvements to the auditorium and rehearsal space, as well as to the front-of-house facilities, toilets, and stage and backstage areas. Providing the plans are approved, Somerset Council and Yeovil Town Council, who’re working jointly on the project, say work will start during the 2026/2027 financial year.

The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into flats. Plans have been submitted to convert the former banking premises into a house of multiple occupation, providing 17 co-living rooms with associated shared communal facilities. The Halifax in King George Street closes permanently on Monday, January 12th, and re-opens within Lloyds Bank in The Borough on Wednesday, January 14th.

Plans have been submitted to widen a level crossing near Crewkerne. Network Rail says it needs to widen the Cathole Bridge Road level crossing near the Crewkerne Tunnel to create a new pedestrian link to a nearby housing development.

A community group has been established to try to reopen the village pub in Chiselborough. The Cat's Head Inn, which has been in existence for around 400 years, closed suddenly in May and is now up for sale.

Donyatt Parish Council has developed proposals to minimise flood risk in the village. They include improving the drainage on Crow Lane and changes in farming practices in local fields.

A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year. The Hive Centre in Essex Close will begin operating on Monday, January 5th. It will host three evening sessions each week and four after-school drop-in sessions.

More from News

Wednesday 4th March

Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A flat in Wincanton has been badly damaged in a fire. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more
Tuesday 3rd March

A woman from Ilminster has been jointly charged with another woman after a man’s body was found inside a car in Cornwall. Somerset businesses, involved in the supply chain for Leonardo, have welcomed the news that the Leonardo factory in Yeovil is to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Plans have been submitted to build thirty-two homes in Milborne Port... and more
Monday 2nd March

The Leonardo factory in Yeovil has won a multi-million pound contract to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. A doctor, who previously worked at Yeovil Hospital, has appeared in court charged with illegally accessing NHS computers. A new Construction Innovation Centre has opened at Yeovil College... and more
Friday 27th February

The CEO of Leonardo has suggested the UK government could make an announcement immindently about ordering new medium lift helicopters to be built in Yeovil. A family run hardware business in Yeovil has gone into administration. The Lord Lieutenant of Somerset has been named the new patron of Somerset Chamber of Commerce... and more
Thursday 26th February

Workers at Leonardo in Yeovil have been to Downing Street to hand-in a petition calling on the government to back British jobs. The decision to grant planning permission to upgrade Yeovil's Octagon Theatre has been enthusiastically welcomed by staff who work there. The search is on to find a defibrillator that has gone missing in Chard... and more
Wednesday 25th February

Plans have been passed to carry out a £15 million upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. A new medical unit providing NHS and private treatments has opened in Shepton Mallet. Manor Court Community Primary School in Chard is celebrating after receiving a Gold Artsmark for excellence in arts and cultural education...and more
Tuesday 24th February

First Bus has announced changes to bus timetables on routes across Somerset. A Somerset drone company is celebrating getting through the audition round of ITV’s Britain's Got Talent. A public footpath in South Somerset is set to remain closed for up to two years... and more
Monday 23rd February

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is warning of a scaling back of jobs at the Leonardo helicopter factory in Yeovil. Work is underway on the multi-million-pound refurbishment of Yeovil police station. The A361 across the Somerset Levels has reopened... and more