A bold bid to build four holiday lodges and a tearoom off the A361 in West Pennard has been approved — seven years after a near‑identical scheme first got the nod.

The plan will see timber holiday units and a café set up on farmland next to Swallows Barn, between Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet. Developers say it'll boost rural tourism and offer "tranquillity with easy access".

The café is pitched as a perk for guests and passing trade — with hopes it'll sell local barbecue packs and milk alongside the cream teas.

Planning permission was previously granted for the same layout back in 2018, but developers have now secured fresh full approval to push the scheme forward.

Each of the three‑bed lodges will get its own parking spot, and extra spaces will be laid on for tearoom visitors. Access will come straight off the A361 using an existing entrance.

According to the planning statement, the lodges are mobile, comply with caravan regs, and can be removed. Landscaping and biodiversity gains are promised — and officers say the nearby Grade II‑listed Laverley House won't be harmed.

Ecology surveys and nutrient checks have all come back clear, and the site lies in Flood Zone 1, meaning there's no major flood risk.

Planning officers backed the scheme as "small‑scale" and "in line with national policy". No start date has been announced.

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