Yeovil has post-war estates and newer homes at Brimsmore, and Taunton and Bridgwater mix Victorian terraces with large new estates on their edges. Frome’s centre has many listed buildings, and Weston-super-Mare has Victorian seaside villas alongside new homes at Locking Parklands. Bath is a World Heritage city where the council’s guidance shapes what is possible on Georgian terraces, while its suburbs are routine. Bristol’s Victorian terraces and 1930s suburbs are straightforward, with conservation areas in Clifton and around the harbourside.
Planning goes through Somerset Council, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset or Bristol City Council. Exmoor National Park has its own planning authority, and the Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Blackdown Hills are National Landscapes. The Somerset Levels are flat and open, with little shading but long rural lines. The network operator is National Grid Electricity Distribution. Taunton, Bath, Bristol and the west of the county are about 90 minutes or more from Ferndown, so the first survey there is usually a video call.