AROUND 100 people packed into Chard's Guildhall as the council prepared to debate plans for a new football stadium at Mount Hindrance.

The application for the sports facilities also has 295 homes attached, and is next to another bid to build 142 homes on Chard's northern border.

If both were approved, this would have seen 437 homes added to the town, as well as the football pitches and leisure facilities.

SSDC's planning officer recommended approval for the Mount Hindrance stadium and 295 homes application, but the plans were cast aside before the debate even started.

The details of the Mount Hindrance bid were being presented South Somerset District Council's area west committee at the Guildhall in Chard when councillors hit on a snagging point.

The picture of the feeder road, which comes off Thorndun Park Drive and will be the main access to the site, was taken from Google Maps street view and was a decade old.

Cllr Jason Baker proposed to 'defer both these applications until we have the information needed to make a proper decision' adding that they 'didn't feel the slides are up to date'.

He said: "I don't envisage this waiting until the December meeting. Hopefully we can get a date before then."

Cllr Martin Wale, from the Blackdown and Tatworth ward, believed the two adjacent applications should be decided at the same time.

He added: "I think we should be considering the cumulative effect on the surrounding area when we are looking at these two sites."

Councillors took legal advice, which said that they could consider them at the same time, but would also need to judge the two sites on their own merits.

The area west committee agreed unanimously to defer both applications.

The Mount Hindrance site was subject to a similar planning application in 2012, which included the sports facilities, 350 homes, and an access from Cuttiford's Door.

This was refused, before an official appeal was also dismissed by the High Court.

The proposed stadium would provide a much sought-after new home for Chard Town FC.

The club was demoted at the start of this season to the Somerset County League Premier due to the gradient of its current pitch, in Zembard Lane.

Previously, applications for both sites on the town's northern border were turned down because Chard had just chosen its preferred areas of growth, to the south and east of the town.

However, it is now seven years on from the initial Mount Hindrance application being made, and just over three years after the High Court threw out the appeal.

Now, the town plan has effectively been made null and void because SSDC cannot demonstrate a five year land supply for meeting its housing targets.

This is why the applications have returned, both with minor changes, and the council's officer recommended approval for the Mount Hindrance stadium site.