Planning Consultants in Somerset
Somerset is characterised by the Somerset Levels and Moors, where flood risk is a major planning constraint and sustainable drainage is essential. The county has a strong agricultural tradition with significant demand for farm diversification, equestrian facilities, and rural workers' dwellings. The Exmoor National Park and Quantock Hills National Landscape impose strict controls in upland areas.
Common in Somerset
Local planning authority: Somerset Council (unitary authority from 2023)
Planning Consultants in Somerset
We advise farmers, landowners, developers and homeowners across Somerset, including Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Frome, Wells and the Levels.
Somerset Council has been the single planning authority outside Exmoor since April 2023, applying the local plans of the four former district councils until its own plan is adopted. It consulted on the scope of a new Somerset Local Plan in June to August 2026, and its timetable aims for adoption in 2029. Exmoor National Park Authority decides applications in the west.
Phosphates are the biggest constraint on new homes. In the catchment of the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site, development that would add phosphates must secure mitigation, and schemes have been refused without it. Large areas of the Levels are in Flood Zone 3, so flood risk evidence is routine, while farm diversification, equestrian development and rural workers' dwellings are common rural work.
Planning Services in Somerset
Urban Vista Planning provides the full range of planning consultancy services to clients across Somerset — from homeowners and landowners to developers and businesses. Our Chartered Town Planners are MRTPI-accredited and experienced in dealing with the planning authorities operating in Somerset.
- Planning permission applications
- Pre-application advice
- Planning appeals
- Permitted development assessments
- Lawful Development Certificates
- Change of use applications
- Heritage and listed building consent
- Ecology & Biodiversity Net Gain
- Highways and transport assessments
- Infrastructure consenting
- Equestrian and rural planning
- Discharge of planning conditions
Why Urban Vista Planning?
MRTPI & MCIHT Accredited
Our Chartered Town Planners and specialist associates are accredited and regulated by their professional bodies, including the RTPI and CIHT.
UK-Wide Coverage
We advise clients across England and Wales, including Somerset, from our offices in Taplow (Buckinghamshire), Leeds, and Hereford.
Free Initial Consultation
We provide an honest initial view of your project — what is achievable, the best consenting route, and likely timescales — at no charge.
Full-Service Consultancy
We manage the entire planning process: application preparation, specialist coordination, authority engagement, and conditions discharge.
Key Planning Constraints in Somerset
These designations and policy issues shape what can be built in Somerset. Identifying them early is the single most effective way to avoid delay, invalid applications and refusal.
Somerset Levels and Moors phosphates
Development in the catchment of the Ramsar site must demonstrate phosphate neutrality.
Extensive flood risk
Large areas of the Levels are in Flood Zone 3, so sequential and exception tests are routine.
Exmoor National Park
The Exmoor National Park Authority determines applications in the west of the county.
Mendip Hills and Quantock Hills National Landscapes
Two nationally protected landscapes constrain development in the north and west.
Infrastructure & Energy Planning in Somerset
Somerset is home to Hinkley Point C and to the Gravity enterprise campus near Bridgwater, the site of a major battery gigafactory. Grid connections, construction logistics and flood risk are recurring issues for infrastructure in the county. We advise on energy, industrial and transport consenting across Somerset.
Planning in Somerset: FAQs
How do phosphates affect planning in Somerset?
The Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar site has excess phosphates, so new homes and other development in its catchment that would add phosphates must show nutrient neutrality, usually by buying mitigation credits or delivering mitigation, secured by legal agreement. Applications without it can be refused.
Which Local Plan applies in Somerset?
The adopted plans of the former Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, and South Somerset councils, in their own areas. Somerset Council consulted on the scope of a single new Local Plan in summer 2026 and aims to adopt it in 2029.
Is flood risk a problem on the Somerset Levels?
Yes. Large parts of the Levels and Moors are in Flood Zone 3, so new homes usually need a Sequential Test and site-specific flood risk assessment, and some schemes also need the Exception Test.
Which council deals with planning applications in Somerset?
Planning applications in Somerset are determined by the local planning authority for the site — Somerset Council (unitary authority from 2023). Where a site lies within a National Park, the National Park Authority is the planning authority instead.
What are the main planning constraints in Somerset?
Key constraints in Somerset include Somerset Levels and Moors phosphates; Extensive flood risk; Exmoor National Park; Mendip Hills and Quantock Hills National Landscapes. We identify which apply to your site at the outset so they can be addressed in the application rather than discovered during determination.
Do you advise on infrastructure and energy projects in Somerset?
Somerset is home to Hinkley Point C and to the Gravity enterprise campus near Bridgwater, the site of a major battery gigafactory. Grid connections, construction logistics and flood risk are recurring issues for infrastructure in the county. We advise on energy, industrial and transport consenting across Somerset.
Other Areas We Cover in the South West
Need a Planning Consultant in Somerset?
Book a free initial consultation — we will give you a clear view of your options and the best route forward.