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

Tuesday 23rd December

NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.
Monday 22nd December

Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.
Friday 19th December

Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.
Thursday 18th December

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more
Wednesday 17th December

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more
Tuesday 14th December

New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.
Monday 15th December

Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more
Friday 12th December

The Chief Executive of Somerset Council, Duncan Sharkey, has admitted to making mistakes in cutting jobs. Yeovil MP Adam Dance is supporting a Lib Dem initiative to introduce a new ‘Farm First’ training scheme. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has launched an appeal to help buy a second helicopter... and more.