The status of the project
The Somer Valley Enterprise Zone (SVEZ) was established in April 2017, to support existing businesses and to attract new businesses to the area.
Background information about the development and potential benefits were on display as part of our Local Plan consultation events between November 2018 and January 2019. View the original project presentation material
The team
To deliver the outcomes we expect of SVEZ, in 2020 we commissioned a multi-disciplinary team to prepare the draft documents for the Local Development Order. This team comprises a range of experts: architects, planners, and technical specialists, such as transport planners, highway engineers, ecologists, environmental experts, and a heritage consultant, amongst others.
The evolving design process
The SVEZ scheme has evolved throughout the course of the project. The specialists working on the project have provided feedback at regular internal Design Team meetings. We have also had discussions with a key stakeholder group, comprising local ward and parish council members, to shape the design of the scheme. This current engagement process, and a future planned consultation in spring 2022, will also feed into the scheme design, to help achieve the various aims of the project.
Technical consultations
- Pre-application planning process: February 2021 to present
Extensive engagement on the SVEZ proposals with a range of local B&NES Council Officers, such as Planners, Ecology, Heritage, Transport and Landscape - Design Review: April 2021
An independent review of SVEZ project plans by the South West Design Review Panel
Consultation outcomes
The technical consultations of the last year have had a substantial impact on our vision for SVEZ, in the following areas:
- Climate and sustainability
The project plans have developed a greater emphasis on sustainability, biodiversity net gain, and greenspace accessibility - Holistic design approach
It's an important objective to ensure the site is distinctive. Important factors in the design include placemaking, connectivity and how we can orientate the scheme around the people who will use it - The scheme in its context
As the proposal has evolved, we have developed the idea of creating 'a business park within a park,’ with an enhanced landscape setting, within the wider rural context of the site