It seems to be a busy day on the planning front today.

First up, villagers may be aware that planning permission for a mobile home in association with the pheasant farm on Minehead Road expired over a year ago. Its continued presence and that of a caravan that was never permitted have been the subject of an enforcement notice issued by Taunton Deane designed to secure the end of their use/removal. An appeal has now been lodged against that enforcement notice on the grounds that: –
a. planning permission ought to be granted for what is alleged in the notice;
b. the steps required to comply with the requirements of the notice are excessive and lesser steps would overcome the objections;
c. that the time given to comply with the notice is too short.

Effectively, the appellant is seeking permission to keep the mobile home on site. Villagers may recall a separate application on this site last year, for a 4 bedroom house with double garage to act as a worker’s dwelling in connection with the pheasant farm. Taunton Deane Borough Council refused that application on the basis that the applicant had failed to prove the need for such a dwelling based on the requirements of the pheasant farm. I would expect that Taunton Deane will run with the same arguments in respect of this appeal as the principles are the same. I have written to the Planning Inspectorate, the body charged with deciding this appeal, with my views as expressed previously. If you have any views, please send them to Mr K Carpenter, The Planning Inspectorate, 3/26 Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN OR email teame1@pins.gsi.gov.uk

You can read my initial response to the appeal here http://bit.ly/17musu1

Also, published today are details of a planning application to change the use of the corner shop on Gore Square to a hot food takeaway. If you want to see more details of the proposal click here http://www1.tauntondeane.gov.uk/tdbcsites/plan/PLApplookup.asp enter this number 06/13/0050 in the top box marked ‘application number’ and click search. You will also find there the means to comment on the application.