Block Management in Midsomer Norton
Class 6 radon at the centre and no square below class 5
We provide block, estate and leasehold management in Midsomer Norton for RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders. Radon here is class 6 at the centre, with six of twelve squares in class 6 and none below class 5. The conservation area was itself on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register in 2018, and much of the town is a Coal Authority development high risk area.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Midsomer Norton
Measure Radon Before Anything Else
Every square over the town is class 5 or class 6, the maximum band. We would recommend radon measurement in communal areas, basements and sealed communal risers, and record the results before any works that change ventilation paths.
ComplianceAllow for a Coal Mining Risk Assessment
The council's placemaking plan puts much of the town in a Coal Authority development high risk area requiring a coal mining risk assessment. We would allow for that in the specification and consultation for any ground or extension works.
Major works and Section 20Reserve for Heritage-Appropriate External Works
The Midsomer Norton and Welton conservation area was on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register as published in 2018, its condition very bad and its trend improving. We would plan reserve funds for suitable external works and obtain consents before specifying them.
Reserve fundsInspect Drains on Logged Sewer Flooding Streets
Sewer flooding has been logged on Chilcompton Road, Riverside Walk, Phillis Hill, Westhill Road and Somer Avenue. For a block on those streets we would schedule drainage inspections and raise defects with Wessex Water, which provides sewerage here.
InspectionsManaging a Block in Midsomer Norton at a Glance
- Local authority
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- Bath and North East Somerset Council Building Control
- County
- Somerset
- Fire and rescue service
- Avon Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- Bristol Water for supply and Wessex Water for sewerage
- From our Plymouth office
- About 96 miles in a straight line
- Setting
- Inland
What It Costs to Move a Block in Midsomer Norton to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
No Midsomer Norton Square Falls Below Radon Class 5
The town centre returns class 6, the maximum band, where the published wording is that maximum radon potential is greater than 30 per cent of homes at or above the action level. Across the twelve one-kilometre squares covering the town, six are class 6 and six are class 5, at 10 to 30 per cent. There is no square below class 5 anywhere in Midsomer Norton. This is former coalfield ground, and the council's placemaking plan puts much of the town in a Coal Authority development high risk area requiring a coal mining risk assessment. For block management, radon bears directly on ground floor flats, basements, sealed communal risers and any works that change ventilation paths. Measurement rather than assumption is the right starting point.
Most Flats in the Town Are Purpose-Built
Three wards cover the settlement. Midsomer Norton North held 2,463 households with 224 flats, 9.1 per cent, of which 168 are purpose-built. Midsomer Norton Redfield held 2,665 households with 347 flats, 13.0 per cent, of which 279 are purpose-built. Westfield held 2,609 households with 236 flats, 9.0 per cent, of which 193 are purpose-built. The two Midsomer Norton wards are compact and fit the built-up area well, so their figures describe the town closely. Westfield is a separate parish adjoining the town, so it belongs in the count only when the wider settlement is meant. Most flats in all three wards are purpose-built, so communal fire safety, roofs and shared services are the main responsibilities for a block.
A 1978 Bypass Tunnel Controls the Somer Through Town
Fluvial from the River Somer and Wellow Brook, and most of the town is in Flood Zone 1. The council's strategic flood risk assessment states that Flood Zone 3 is primarily confined to rural areas except at Welton Hollow, and that tidal risk is negligible. Flooding on the Somer through the town is controlled by a bypass tunnel. The Midsomer Norton Flood Alleviation Tunnel was built in 1978 and designed to provide a 50 year standard of protection. Environment Agency asset records also list concrete flood walls and gabion banks at a 100 year standard in condition category 2. Two warning areas cover the Wellow Brook. One names Thicketmead Bridge, Coomb End Culvert, Coombend, Market Place, Church Street and St Nicholas Primary School. The other names Station Road, Welton Hollow, Riverside, Steam Mills, St Chads Green and Somervale School. The Somer through the town centre is largely open rather than culverted. It runs along the south side of Redfield Road and behind The Island before a short culverted length, re-emerging in the High Street. It is the Wellow Brook that is culverted, under the former Welton Manufacturing site, and the council's placemaking plan requires that site to de-culvert it. Historic events on the Somer run from November 1954 through to May 1979. Sewer flooding has been logged on Chilcompton Road, Riverside Walk, Phillis Hill, Westhill Road and Somer Avenue. For a block on those streets or in a named warning area, drainage inspections and the insurance disclosure should reflect that record.
The Conservation Area Itself Was on Heritage at Risk
One conservation area, Midsomer Norton and Welton, first designated in April 2004, redesignated in April 2018 and covering 68.93 hectares. The appraisal and management plan were formally adopted for planning guidance purposes on 6 April 2018 and define eleven character areas. As published in 2018, the conservation area was itself on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register. Its condition was assessed as very bad, its vulnerability medium and its trend improving. It is one of 35 conservation areas across Bath and North East Somerset. For a block budgeting external works here, repairs should be specified in suitable materials, with any consent needed obtained before they are tendered.
The council's appraisal gives two counts. Page 3 states that the conservation area contains thirty seven entries on the National Heritage List, while page 14 says thirty three building entries and notes that some entries cover more than one property. Historic England's data gives 36 within the boundary. Seven are Grade II* and there is no Grade I building at all. The Grade II* entries are Welton Manor House, The Hollies, the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Ghost and the parish church of St John the Baptist. The remaining Grade II* entries are The Priory, 37 Priory Close with its Norman tympanum, and the Norman archway behind 83 North Road. For a block in or beside one of these, works to the fabric need listed building consent.
Bath's HMO Article 4 Stops Short of Midsomer Norton
Three adopted documents apply. The Core Strategy was adopted 10 July 2014. The Placemaking Plan, adopted 13 July 2017, has a Somer Valley volume with a dedicated Midsomer Norton town centre chapter. The Local Plan Partial Update was adopted 19 January 2023. The emerging plan runs to 2042, and plan-making was reset after the December 2024 changes to national policy. Core Strategy policies SV1 and SV2 set the Somer Valley strategy and the town centre policy. The town centre policy requires the former Palladium cinema and former brewery sites to be unlocked and the River Somer treated as a positive feature. There is no made neighbourhood plan: an area is designated but no referendum has been held, and the made plan at Westfield covers a separate parish. There is no Article 4 direction here. The district's Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation applies to Bath only, so the additional planning control that catches out landlords in Bath does not operate in Midsomer Norton.
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Midsomer Norton Questions
Why Does Radon Matter So Much for a Midsomer Norton Block?
The town centre returns class 6, where the maximum radon potential is greater than 30 per cent of homes at or above the action level. No square in the town is below class 5, and this is former coalfield ground. It bears on ground floor flats, basements, sealed communal risers and works that change ventilation paths, so measurement rather than assumption is the right starting point.
Does the Bath HMO Article 4 Direction Apply in Midsomer Norton?
No. The district's Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation applies to Bath only, and there is no Article 4 direction here. Planning is decided under the Core Strategy of 2014, the Placemaking Plan of 2017 with its Midsomer Norton town centre chapter, and the Local Plan Partial Update adopted in January 2023.
Is the River Somer Through the Town Culverted?
Largely not. The Somer through the centre is open, running along the south side of Redfield Road and behind The Island. It then passes through a short culverted length and re-emerges in the High Street. It is the Wellow Brook that is culverted, under the former Welton Manufacturing site, and the council's placemaking plan requires that site to de-culvert it.
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