The future of the Oscar Mayer factory site in Chard, Somerset, remains uncertain more than two years after its closure in August 2021. The factory, which employed 860 people, closed due to the high cost of modernizing its outdated buildings. The site was sold in September 2022, but despite speculation about potential redevelopment into housing, no concrete plans have materialized.
The site, located on the A358 Furnham Road, is currently vacant, with no formal planning application for redevelopment or regeneration. The lack of development plans is attributed to the site not being allocated for any development in the South Somerset Local Plan, as it was still operational at the time of its approval.
The new Somerset-wide Local Plan, set to be completed by March 2028, is expected to address specific site allocations and undergo a public consultation in spring 2025. In the meantime, neighboring sites have been earmarked for development, including proposals for a 66-bed care home and a potential housing development with the promise of a Chard eastern relief road section.
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The council expressed its desire for the site to retain some form of employment, emphasizing the need for active marketing of employment sites and the potential for central government funding to support brownfield developments.
While Homes England provided funding for another site in Frome, the council clarified that it would only consider such funding once formal proposals for the Oscar Mayer site are presented.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of the factory site continues, as no specific redevelopment plans have been put forward by the new owners, leaving the nature of any potential proposals and their viability unknown.