The Plan Outline

The Neighbourhood Plan AreaThis document represents the Neighbourhood Plan for Shepton Mallet neighbourhood area for the period 2014 to 2036. The plan contains a vision for the future of Shepton Mallet and sets out clear planning policies to realise this vision

The principal purpose of the Neighbourhood Plan is to guide development within the neighbourhood area. It also provides guidance to anyone wishing to submit a planning application for development within the neighbourhood area. The process of producing a plan has sought to involve the community as widely as possible. The different topic areas are reflective of matters that are of considerable importance to Shepton Mallet, its residents, businesses, and community groups.

Some of the Neighbourhood Plan policies are general and apply throughout the plan area, whilst others are site or area-specific and apply only to the appropriate areas illustrated on the relevant map. Once made, the policies of the plan form part of the development plan. Development should be carried out in accordance with the development plan, the policies of which should be taken as a whole.

The process of producing the Neighbourhood Plan has identified a number of actions which have not been included in the policies’ sections. This is because these are not specifically related to land use matters and therefore sit outside the jurisdiction of a neighbourhood plan. These actions will be addressed by the Town Council outside of the neighbourhood plan process.

Policy Context

888 This document represents the Neighbourhood Plan for Shepton Mallet neighbourhood area, being one part of the development plan over the period 2006 to 2028, the other part being the Local Plan Part II for Mendip District Council 2006 - 2029.1 Following unitary authority status in April 2023, these policies will remain in force.

Mendip District Council, as the local Planning Authority (LPA), designated the Shepton Mallet Neighbourhood Area in February 2014 to enable Shepton Mallet Town Council to prepare the Neighbourhood Plan. The Plan has been prepared by the community through the Shepton Mallet Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group (SMNPSG) on behalf of Shepton Mallet Town Council. The Shepton Mallet Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared in accordance with the Town & Country Planning Act 1990, the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Localism Act 2011 and the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012 (amended in 2015). The SMNPSG has prepared the plan to establish a vision for the future of the neighbourhood area and to set out how that vision will be realised through planning and controlling land use and development change over the plan period 2014 to 2036. The map in Figure 1 shows the boundary of the Neighbourhood Plan area.

Sustainability Appraisal

To ensure that the policies and proposals set out in the Neighbourhood Plan contribute to sustainable development, it has been tested to see how well it performs against economic, social, and environmental objectives.

In order to assess the sustainability impacts of different plan and policy options, an appraisal framework (known as a Scoping Report) was prepared, with input from statutory consultees. This has helped in developing the Plan’s vision and objectives, the overall planning strategy, and individual policies that work towards achieving sustainable development, offering economic, social, and environmental benefits. At each stage in the Neighbourhood Plan preparation, an assessment has been undertaken and recommendations made as to how the sustainability of the Plan might be improved.

The Sustainability Appraisal Report presents the appraisal of this Neighbourhood Plan and demonstrates how the Policies of the Neighbourhood Plan meet the sustainability objectives of Shepton Mallet. The majority of the policies proposed in the Neighbourhood Plan have a positive impact on Shepton Mallet’s environmental, social, and economic wellbeing. Taken as a whole, the policies of the Plan have no net negative impact, and therefore no additional mitigation is required. The overall effect of the implementation of the Plan will contribute to the objectives of sustainable development in Shepton Mallet.

 Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA)

A Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) screening is required under the European directive 92/43/EEC for plans that may have an impact on European (Natura 2000) Sites.

The HRA screening has assessed the impacts of implementing the Neighbourhood Plan on local Special Area of Conservation (SAC) sites. Its purpose is to consider the impacts of the plan against the conservation objectives of the sites and to examine whether it would be likely to have a significant adverse effect on the integrity of the site. The HRA screening concludes that no likely significant effects are expected as a result of the majority of the Neighbourhood Plan policies and recommends a number of mitigation measures in relation to site allocation and water runoff. This has been acted on and Policy 2 includes mitigation measures.

Download a copy of the Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA)

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been undertaken alongside development of the Shepton Mallet NDP informing plan development including through the assessment of alternatives.  

SEA is a legal requirement for the NDP and is undertaken to meet the requirements of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (The SEA Regulations).  

A scope for the SEA was consulted upon with statutory consultees in May 2022 and provides a framework of sustainability objectives against which the plan (and alternatives) is assessed.  The SEA Environmental Report is published alongside the Shepton Mallet NDP at Regulation 14 consultation and provides stakeholders with an assessment of the likely significant effects associated with implementing the plan and the identified alternatives.

Download a copy of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

About Shepton Mallet

Our history almost certainly starts with our river. With the Mendip Hills to the north and rising land to the south, the River Sheppey runs through the valley of the town and is at the heart of much of its rich history and economic development. The Sheppey provided waterpower for the mills producing wool, and later silk. And the presence of very good quality spring water at Darshill was used in brewing by the Anglo Bavarian lager company in the 1800s, when water was pumped from Darshill up the valley side to the brewery.

Neolithic burials, Iron age farms, a Roman village, medieval industry and buildings and England’s first lager brewery all reflect the ancient history of this important Somerset trading centre. Today, that rich history needs to inform future planning and development of the town and its community life.

The Sheppey Valley has seen human activity since at least the neolithic period. Many artefacts have come from the rising ground south of the modern town, and the remains of iron age farmsteads have been found at Cannard’s Grave, near Field Farm, and possibly underlying part of the Roman town. Evidence of prehistoric burials from both sides of the valley suggests that activity was widespread.

The Fosse Way, the principal Roman road into the southwest of England, runs through the town, and there is evidence of Roman settlement. Recent archaeological investigations along Fosse Lane have revealed many details of the linear Roman roadside settlement, which survives well and is a find of great archaeological importance. But other finds, such as the early Roman kilns (possibly associated with early military activity) discovered during work on the 19th century Anglo-Bavarian brewery, remind us that much remains to be learnt about Roman activity in Shepton Mallet.

Shepton itself is first mentioned by name, as Sceaptun (the sheep farm), in the Domesday Survey, by which time there were already many sheep, a mill, and, one assumes, a village, at Shepton. •In the medieval period, Shepton was one of a number of small settlements along the Sheppey Valley: Charlton is recorded separately at Domesday as Cereletone and may have been deliberately developed as a commercial enterprise, either by Glastonbury Abbey or by the Mallet family who held the manor from the Abbey by the 14th century.

A market and fair charter was granted in 1235 and though this was subsequently suppressed after objections by Wells, further market and fair grants were made in 1260 and 1318. A planned urban core may have been laid out, and though no borough was ever established, the amounts of tax which were raised from Shepton in the medieval period testify to its prosperity, which was firmly based on the woollen industry.

Shepton continued to thrive in the post-medieval period, and its continued significance was underlined by the placing of the county prison there in the early 17th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries the town expanded eastward along the river, where the mills on which its prosperity rested were built. Shepton itself, and the outlying settlements, became populous, industrialised settlements. Collinson (1791) describes an industry employing about four and a half thousand people in the valley. But the streets of Shepton, according to his account, were narrow and dirty.

By 1840, the woollen industry was already declining, and this trend continued in the early 19th century. However, other industries, such as silk manufacture, brewing and cheese making, were growing to take its place. Braggs’ 1840 Directory was able to describe Shepton as a neat and clean market town, and the other 19th century directories also give a picture of a town in recovery from the economic threat imposed by the failure of the cloth industry. The arrival of the railways from the 1850s onwards was a boost to the town’s attempts to keep its head above water.

The establishment of the Anglo-Bavarian brewery in 1864, the first lager-beer production in England, began a continued development of the brewing industry; today, the town is a major centre for the production of Cider. Shepton has a fine parish church and a considerable number of listed buildings including its prison, which was England's oldest prison still in use when it closed in March 2013.

All of this rich history and archaeology, needs to inform and colour future planning decisions. Historic buildings and ancient road layouts need careful consideration when new developments are discussed. And our river with its important ecology and tranquil views needs continued sensitive management

Source document, An Archaeological Assessment of Shepton Mallet, is included as Appendix 8

Shepton Mallet Today

From this historic background, Shepton Mallet has emerged as a town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset in Southwest England and has grown to a population of 10,369 (2011 census). Situated approximately 18 miles (29 km) south of Bristol and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Wells, it is the second smallest of five towns in Mendip, located in the geographical heart of the district.

It is known by many as the birthplace in the fifties of the popular Perry drink “Babycham”. It is identified as a “principal town” in the Mendip Local Plan, and is also the closest town to the site of the Glastonbury Festival, the largest music festival in Europe.

Shepton Mallet had a relatively small retail centre until recently with its offer largely restricted to meeting local needs. However, the recently completed Townsend Retail Park to the south of the town centre has resulted in significantly less people leaving the town for food shopping.

However, there is recognised need for improvement. The Mendip Local Plan Part I: Strategy and Policies 2006-2029 says the following: “Shepton Mallet, located in the heart of Mendip, is the second smallest town in the district. Despite its heritage and attractive appearance, the town’s image remains poor with a number of prominent areas in need of significant investment.”

Shepton Mallet’s town centre is the smallest in the district, and it has been in decline for many years. The relocation of the town’s main food store from a peripheral location on Fosse Lane to the Townsend Retail Park in 2007 was seen as a means to deliver regeneration to a derelict employment site and help to boost trade in the centre. The Retail Park has delivered large format retailing, which was absent in the town, as well as a large Tesco store offering a range of non-food goods. This development has improved the retention of spending in the town as a whole, but according to an assessment in 2010, the benefits of higher footfall are not being translated into gains on the high street. Whilst there has been investment in a number of high street properties, stimulated by the Townscape Heritage Initiative and supported by a weekly market, shop vacancy rates remain stubbornly high especially around the Market Place.

Shepton Mallet contains the second largest concentration of employment land and premises in the district. The land and premises available are of varying quality but the views of local businesses have suggested that a proportion of cheaper, lower quality premises are valued as they support business formation and keep costs down. Current employment land is mainly concentrated to the east of the town, with significant transport and warehousing firms to the south. Job growth projections point towards a good level of new employment in the town of 1,300-1,500 jobs in the period to 2029. The District Council is promoting an innovative initiative that will see its Cannards Grave Road site emerge as a public sector hub within which district and county council services, police and other organisations will be concentrated. This may release new development opportunities in the town, and attention is also being given to the creation of an Innovation Centre to stimulate new business development. Page 11 of 69 Profile of the Community today (Additional demographic data can be found at Appendix 3)

Community Profile

Population

Shepton Mallet falls within the area of Mendip District Council (MDC) emerging as a Unitary Authority in April 2023. The overall population size of the parish according to the 20112 census was 10,369, or 9.49% of the whole unitary authority, living in 4,377 dwellings. The population of MDC was recorded in the 2011 census1 was 109,279 representing a 5.2% increase since the 2001 census.
At the time of writing, 2021 census data is not available

Deprevation Levels

In terms of deprivation levels, the English Indices of Multiple Deprivation3 measure relative levels of deprivation in small areas called Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs). These are small areas of approximately 1500 households which, unlike local government wards are defined geographical areas broadly based on community boundaries and do not change over time. Shepton East is the most deprived ward of the district, lying just outside the 10% most deprived wards in the country.

Shepton Mallet is one of two towns in Mendip which has an issue with deprivation, despite the Mendip District having a relatively small proportion of its population living in an area amongst the top twenty percent nationally for income deprivation affecting older people and children. About 14% (2,800) of children in the Mendips live in poverty and life expectancy is 5.4yrs less in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas. (Public Health England, Mendip district 2014).

MDC is ranked 217 out of the 354 English local authorities (where 1 is the most deprived) which makes it one of the 30% least deprived of local authorities in the country.

Housing Data

There were 4,377 households in Shepton Mallet at the time of the 2011 census (9.48% of the 46,157 households across the Mendip District). The neighbourhood area had 10,369 usual residents and covers an area of 924 hectares.

In Shepton Mallet Parish there were 930 detached dwellings representing 20.4% of all dwellings in the neighbourhood area. There were also 1572 semi-detached and 1268 terraced dwellings equating to 34.5% and 27.8% respectively. The percentages for Mendip District were: 31.3% detached; 31.4% semi-detached and 24.6% terraced. 10.6% of all households were one-person pensioner households significantly lower than the figure for MDC (13.8%). 29.1% of households in the neighbourhood area had dependent children, similar to 27.3% across MDC. There were 295 lone parent households (with dependent children) which equates to 6.7% of all households, marginally higher than the 6.1% figure for MDC.

Employment

At the time of the census, there were 7,716 residents 74.4%) who were available to work (aged between 16-74). Of these, 70.2% were in employment, higher than the figures for MDC (66.3%) and England (62%). 9.6% were self-employed against 14.2% across MDC. 3.3% of Shepton Mallet residents were unemployed compared to 2.9% across Mendip District and 4.4% across England.

Labour Force

Of those aged over 16 (5,514 residents), 21.09% of the population of Shepton Mallet Parish has a degree qualification or higher, lower than the 27.9% in the district, and lower than the 27.40% in England. The number with no formal qualifications at all stands at 1,947 people, or 23.17%, compared to 21.40% in the district and 22.50% across England as a whole.

Travel to Work

3.8% of residents worked from home compared to 6.4% at district level. The car is used as the main means of travel to work for 48.1% (MDC is 44.6%), while 1.1% use public transport (MDC is 3%) and 12.4% travel on foot (MDC is 9.4%).

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL POLICY

This section of the plan explores the topic areas to be covered in the Neighbourhood Plan in more detail. Each section identifies relevant policies and evidence at the national, regional, and local level, as well as a summary of Shepton resident’s views collated to date.

Evidence is drawn from a series of sources including: •The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) first published in March 2012 and revised in July 2018, updated February 2019 and July 2021.

• The NPPF sets out the planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied in order to achieve sustainable development.
• The Local Plan for Mendip Part I & II •The Local Plan Part I: Strategy and Policies was formally adopted by the Council on 15th December 2014. It sets out the current situation for the district, as well as some overarching strategic objectives for the future.
• The Mendip Local Plan Part II: Sites and Policies was adopted December 2021.
• The Local Plan Part I now forms part of the Development Plan for the District and will be used in the determination of all planning applications submitted to the Council alongside policies in the Somerset Waste Core Strategy (to 2028) which addresses waste management including recycling and the Somerset Minerals Plan (to 2030).

Sustainability Appraisal Local Plan Part I

• The purpose of the Sustainability Appraisal is to assess the environmental, social, and economic effects of approaches in order to help decide what the most appropriate policies will be. •
• The Infrastructure and Development Plan (May 2020) proposes 1,543 new homes over the period of the Local Plan (2006-2029) for Shepton Mallet.
• The pre-submission draft Infrastructure Plan allocates an additional 170 houses to this. Of this number, there were still just over 700 remaining to be built as of Autumn 2017 (the latest available figures).
• Around 740 dwellings are required to 2029 which equates to around 50 dwellings per year. Local Plan Core Policy 9 identifies land to the south of Shepton Mallet at Cannards Grave as the main strategic greenfield development area which will deliver around 600 new homes. This location would also support development beyond 2029 and could eventually accommodate 1000 or more homes. As part of a major comprehensive development, this site would be expected to provide a new primary school and will need to put in place a sustainable drainage system to address the known concerns around surface water drainage.
• In terms of employment land, the regeneration proposals for the Bath and West Showground, 5 km south of Shepton Mallet, will include a substantial area for employment development (10 ha).
• Discussions with infrastructure providers have confirmed that the level of growth and development proposals are acceptable in principle. There are a number of infrastructure issues to be addressed. These include provision of a new primary school and investment in sewage treatment and sustainable urban drainage for surface water. An early review of primary health provision by the NHS may also be needed.

Infrastructure Developments

In reflection of the strategic development allocated in Shepton Mallet, Mendip DC have identified a list of infrastructure developments needed to support their aims and the local plan identifies that, “there is potential for Neighbourhood Plans to play a greater role in specifying local infrastructure requirements”.

Therefore, this Neighbourhood Plan will identify infrastructure projects which are deemed to be of importance to the community in Shepton Mallet, including Traffic and Transport Infrastructure. The Mendip Infrastructure and Development Plan does not identify any transport issues specifically relating to Shepton Mallet; however, Shepton Mallet has undertaken its own Traffic and Transport report attached as an Appendix The Mendip Infrastructure Plan does identify that mitigation measures to overcome surface water flows may need to be undertaken by developers to overcome flooding issues.

In addition, The Environment Agency (EA) has indicated there may be a need for additional investigation to assess sewage outflows resulting from the strategic housing allocation in Shepton Mallet and commercial premises. The Neighbourhood Plan must be in general conformity with national policy expressed through the (NPPF) as well as the strategic policies of the local plan. Through the Shepton Mallet Design Guide, It will also present levels of detail that should inform the design of development in Shepton Mallet.

The steering group will assess the impact of various other policy proposals and alternative options on the environment through the sustainability appraisal, the Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) and locational investigations