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Plan-it Somerset
Planning policy news
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We're consulting on Main Modifications agreed at Examination Hearings and other minor changes (Additional Modifications). These do not involve additional allocations. We have not revised the Submitted Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Report or Habitat Regulations Assessment. Corrections have been made to SA Appendices as raised at examination.
Any comments on Main and Additional Modifications should be received by 5pm on 26 May 2025. Responses received will be provided to the Inspector and taken into account in the examination report.
Full details are provided on our Mendip Local Plan Part II Limited Update Examination page.
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Our Taunton Waterways Strategy and Guidance has been adopted. It's now a material planning consideration for the preparation of masterplans, pre-application advice, assessing planning applications and any other development management purposes within the study area.
The document provides a clear, overarching strategy and supporting guidance to direct investment in Taunton’s waterways, to bring about coordinated improvement for the benefit of the whole town. It aligns with the Vision for Taunton Garden Town which places Taunton’s waterways at the heart of the town’s regeneration.
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 On 25 March 2025, the Office for National Statistics published new House Price to Workplace-based Earnings Ratio data. This changed the Local Housing Requirement (LHR) for the 5 Year Housing Land Supply (5YHLS) calculation.
The LHR is calculated using Dwelling Stock Data, Affordability Ratio and Housing Delivery Test (HDT) Measurement results.
The Dwelling Stock Data was published in May 2024. The 2023 HDT measurement by local planning authorities was published 12 December 2024. There were no changes to HDT consequences applied for 5YHLS purposes for each of the former District Council areas. So these parts of the calculation remain unchanged.
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 Your views have helped shape the way that planning applications will be validated in the Somerset Council planning area.
From 1 April 2025 all applications will need to use the updated and consolidated checklist. It reflects both the national guidance on the validation of applications and the local requirements to meet adopted Local Plan policies.
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 The Independent Examiner’s report was received on 19 March 2025 and recommended that the Plan should proceed to referendum, as modified by the Examiner’s recommendations.
The modifications include the deletion of the ‘Cannington Local Visual Landscape Study’ and references to it throughout the Plan. The Study hadn’t been prepared in accordance with guidance promoted by Natural England and the Landscape Institute. Representations were invited on this matter during the Examination.
We, along with Cannington Parish Council have accepted the Examiner’s recommendations and the modified Plan will proceed to referendum in the near future.
 The Shepton Mallet Neighbourhood Plan has been developed by the Town Council over a number of years, working with the community. Extensive consultation was carried out in 2014, 2023 and 2024.
The Plan was submitted to us in October 2024. In line with the legislation, it was subject to Independent Examination. The Examiner’s Report was received on 22 April 2025. The report concluded that a modified Plan, in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations, could proceed to referendum.
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