Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning application documents: what to read first
Understand planning application documents, officer reports and decision notices. Use a reading checklist, document table and worked example to inspect a case.
England · Local authority
Explore collected planning applications and decisions for Somerset Council. Search an address, application reference or proposal to find a record.
3,312 approved · 66 refused · 185 withdrawn. Most recent record check: 14 Oct 2026. Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.
Explore published planning boundaries and follow their source records for designation details. Coverage varies: an empty map does not mean there are no restrictions. Check the council’s current maps and documents before relying on a boundary.
Interactive planning map loads with JavaScript. Dataset sources are linked below.
Download Article 4 coverage for all authorities (CSV)
Data downloaded 14 Sept 2026. Display boundaries are simplified and indicative. Map record counts are not a complete count of designations or directions.
Sources: Planning Data conservation areas and Article 4 direction areas. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ash Grove to, Zembard Lane, Chard, Somerset
Received Not publishedChurchstanton Primary School, Churchstanton, TAUNTON, Somerset, TA3 7RL
Received Not publishedrear of Sycamore House, Walrow, Highbridge, Somerset
Received Not publishedWestdown Quarry Whatley Frome Somerset (OS ST 719 661)
Received Not publishedOakfield Middle School, Oakfield Road, Frome, Somerset, BA11 4JF
Received Not publishedHinkley Point C Power Station, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 1YA
Received Not publishedWestonzoyland Primary School, Cheer Lane, Westonzoyland, BRIDGWATER, Somerset, TA7 0EY
Received Not publishedHousehold Waste Recycling Centre, Dulcote, Wells, Somerset
Received Not publishedGreen Ore Farm, Green Ore, Wells, Somerset, BA5 3EP
Received Not publishedWest Cranmore Quarry, West Cranmore, Shepton Mallet, Somerset
Received Not publishedHamp County Infants School, Rhode Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 6JB
Received Not publishedLANGFORD BUDVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL, LANGFORD BUDVILLE, TA21 0RD
Received Not publishedDimmer Landfill Site, Dimmer Lane, Castle Cary, Somerset, BA7 7NR
Received Not publishedStanchester Community School, Montacute Road, Stoke Sub Hamdon, Yeovil, Somerset, TA14 6UG
Received Not publishedHam Wall National Nature Reserve, Wilderness Drove, Sharpham, Somerset
Received Not publishedChilton Trinity School, Chilton Street, BRIDGWATER, TA6 3JA
Received Not publishedBishop Henderson Primary School, Farley Dell, Coleford, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 5PN
Received Not publishedStoke St Michael Primary School, Moonshill Road, Stoke St Michael, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 5LG
Received Not publishedLongcroft Farm, Stone Lane, Yeovil, Somerset, BA21 4NU
Received Not publishedEastover Park, Bridgwater, Somerset
Received Not publishedBroadmead Quarry, Stancombe Lane, Westbury sub Mendip, Wells, Somerset, BA5 3BZ
Received Not publishedWest Chinnock C of E Primary School, Scotts Way, West Chinnock, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 7PT
Received Not publishedMerriott First School, Church Street, Merriott, Somerset, TA16 5PT
Received Not publishedHam Sewage Treatment Works, Ham Lane, Creech St Michael, TAUNTON, Somerset, TA3 5NU
Received Not publishedRecords are ordered by application ID, not submission date. Use search to find a particular address or proposal.
View all applicationsStart with the address or application reference. Open a record to read the proposal, dates and available documents, then check the official register for the latest plans and consultation details. If nothing appears, check coverage before treating the result as a complete planning history.
How to search planning applications
Understanding planning · 13 min read
Understand planning application documents, officer reports and decision notices. Use a reading checklist, document table and worked example to inspect a case.

Understanding planning · 13 min read
Read planning drawings, floor plans, elevations and sections. Use labelled diagrams, a drawing comparison table and revision checks to understand a proposal.

Property research · 13 min read
Understand planning approval rates with an interactive calculator, worked examples and comparison table. Check sample sizes, outcomes and coverage before comparing.
These figures describe applications collected by PlanningTrack for Somerset Council, across all dates currently available. They are a partial dataset, rather than an authority-wide performance measure. The date range does not establish continuous historical coverage.
The approval percentage is approved records divided by approved plus refused records. Pending, withdrawn and unknown outcomes are excluded. No percentage is shown until there is an approved or refused record.
Check collection coverage