PLANS to redevelop a long-abandoned farmhouse near Chew Magna are back on the table for a seventh time, despite repeated refusals from the local council and the planning inspectorate.

The owners of Halfway Farm, an abandoned and overgrown property off the B131 between Chew Magna and Pensford, are again attempting to redevelop the site, which they warn should only be entered “with extreme caution.”

Mr and Mrs Gibson hope to demolish the crumbling barns, but Bath and North East Somerset Council has repeatedly refused planning permission.

After their fifth planning application was turned down in 2023, the Gibsons appealed to the planning inspectorate but planning inspector Alexander O’Doherty turned down the plans too. He warned that walking to the nearest bus stop would involve “a treacherous walk along a busy road with fast-moving traffic.”

Now they have submitted a new planning application, seeking prior approval to convert a barn into four homes, and knock down other old barns. The farmhouse would remain standing.

Halfway Farm has stood unused for many years, with the farmhouse and barns falling into increasing disrepair. The overgrown site has prompted concerns from local residents about safety and visual impact, while also sparking interest in its potential future use.

A statement submitted with the planning application said: “Multiple other aspects of the previous application were deemed compliant, therefore a consistent approach of the authority would be reasonable.”

Previous applications have had the support of Stanton Drew Parish Council who said: “In their current state the buildings are a total eyesore.” But planning officers at Bath and North East Somerset Council have previously said that plans to build houses on the site would have been “inappropriate” development for the green belt, and that the barn conversion could lead to more people walking along the main road.