Mayor of Wellington Cllr Janet Lloyd has said the town council would ‘look foolish’ if it stopped supporting proposals for a new project which would showcase the food and drink of Somerset.

Members of Wellington Town Council’s planning committee agreed in October to support the House of Somerset project on land adjoining the Foxmoor Business Park at Chelston, which would include a visitor centre, pannier hall, artisan workshops and a 165ft beacon.

But the committee was asked again earlier this month to look at the planning application with amended plans having been submitted to Somerset West and Taunton Council with the proposed beacon taken out.

The decision to remove the beacon from the proposals seems to have come following concerns raised by Historic England and National Trust that it might have an adverse impact on the existing and refurbished 175ft Wellington Monument on the edge of the Blackdown Hills.

But Cllr John Thorne, speaking at the planning committee meeting, held via Zoom video conferencing technology, said he felt the beacon was a key part of the House of Somerset proposals.

“Apart from the beacon being removed I’m not sure what else has changed in the plans,” he said. “I wouldn’t support this as the beacon is not part of it and this application now just becomes an out-of-town shopping centre – a Clarks Village without a town attached to it. The amended plans need to be refused.”

But the Mayor said: “We approved this last time and we would look fools if we objected now seeing there are only a few amendments.”

For the full story see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.