2.1 South Somerset District has a population of around 159,700[1] distributed across many towns, villages and hamlets. It is one of the largest districts in the South West lying on the southern side of the County and accounts for nearly a third of Somerset’s area covering an area of 958 sq km (370 sq miles). It is largely rural in nature with a population density of 1.7 people per hectare, less than half the national average. Yeovil is the second largest town in the County and has approximately a quarter of the District’s population (44,000[2]) and lies in the south eastern corner of the District immediately adjoining Dorset. However, over 40% of the District’s population live in settlements of fewer than 2,500 residents and the District is made up of a mixture of sparsely inhabited rural areas, a network of villages and a number of market towns of varying size and influence.

2.2 In order to devise an appropriate Spatial Vision for 2028 and a Local Plan that will help to deliver this, it is important to understand and appreciate what local characteristics make the district what it is. These are set out under the headings of the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Local Plan Chapters which follow.