Planning Appeal Decided
A planning application for seven flats in the Amulet has been turned down at appeal.
The application was originally submitted in 2020 and was refused by Somerset Council last year, with an appeal against that decision being dismissed by the national planning inspector this week.
The flats were to be located in the Amulet’s main theatre stage, scenery fly tower and artists’ dressing rooms, meaning that it would no longer have been able to host the large scale live music, theatre and community performances that it was designed for.
Both Somerset Council and the planning inspector agreed that although Shepton Mallet does need more housing there is a stronger need for community facilities and the Amulet still has the potential to be reopened. They both said that our campaign and the strong community support show there is significant local demand.
We opposed the planning appeal because it would have meant the permanent loss of Shepton Mallet’s only large scale performance venue. There are many other empty buildings which could be converted for residential use but there are no other buildings with the potential of the Amulet; which could be easily reopened to provide us with much needed community space and to reinvigorate the town centre.
Full details may be found on Somerset Council’s website and you can read the decision statements at the links below: