Any new development must first have the approval of the Local Planning Authority, which in the case of Wembdon is Somerset Council (SC).
If you are planning a development, either a new building or alterations to an existing building, advice and information on how to apply for Planning Permission are available on Somerset Council’s website. Certain extensions, loft conversions and other minor developments do not require Planning Permission – further information can be found through the website. To be successful, applications should comply with National Planning Policy, the Sedgemoor Local Plan (which will still apply until SC produce a county-wide Local Plan), and Wembdon’s Neighbourhood Plan.
Full details of all new applications are published on Somerset Council’s website, and those for Wembdon are listed on the Recent Applications page on our website, each with a link to the full details. Members of the public may comment or give their views to SC for or against a proposed development – the time limit for this can be found in the details of each application.
Wembdon Parish Council is consulted by SC on all new Planning Applications in the Parish. Each Application is examined by a Parish Councillor, and the application will usually be discussed at a Planning Committee meeting. Members of the public who wish to comment or give their views on an application may address the Planning Committee for up to three minutes by giving prior notice to the Parish Clerk. The Planning Committee will agree on a response to be submitted to SC, but the Parish Council does not have the final say in whether permission will be granted – that decision is in the hands of SC. The decision will usually be delegated to an SC Planning Officer, but in some cases, or if it is a Major Application, the decision will be made by SC’s Planning Committee (north), composed of a number of District Councillors from all over Sedgemoor. In that case, the applicant, a Parish Councillor, and members of the public have the right to address the Committee for up to 3 minutes to put their views on the application.
If you think that a development is under way without Planning Permission, or the construction is not as approved, you can report it to SC through the Planning Enforcement page on their website.
