Plans approved for Firepool regeneration site in Taunton

Plans for the “golden thread” cycle route running through the Firepool regeneration site in Taunton have been given the go-ahead as contractors move in to protect the area from flooding.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has been seeking to progress its plans to regenerate the former cattle market site on Canal Road (which has lain vacant since 2008), filling the space with housing, commercial units, a hotel, cinema and potentially a multi-purpose entertainment venue.

Following approval of the new access road into the site in February and plans for re-purposing the former GWR building in March, the council’s planning committee has now approved the designs for the “southern boulevard” which will link Taunton railway station to the town centre via the new development.

This decision comes as the temporary boulevard through the site – created in time for the men’s cricket world cup in 2019 – closes for six months to allow contractors to raise the entire area by around half a metre, reducing the flood risk and unlocking other aspects of the development.

At the northern end of the site, the boulevard will join up with new pedestrian and cycling routes between the A3087 Trenchard Way and Canal Road, which are being delivered during the construction of the new digital innovation centre – which is due to open in 2023.

This new facility is currently being built opposite the former GWR offices (known as ‘block 3’ within the Firepool masterplan) – with permission being granted in March to transform these buildings into offices and a restaurant.

From there, the boulevard will proceed south, providing rain gardens to encourage wildlife and a town square between the residential and commercial elements before broadening out into a large water feature.

At the southern end of the site, the boulevard will finish at a substantial amphitheatre (which will be delivered through the government’s future high streets fund), before linking up to existing pedestrian and cycling routes along the River Tone.

A separate application will seek to extend this cycle route to the recently-completed Coal Orchard regeneration site, building a new bridge over the river.

The council’s planning committee met in Taunton to discuss the southern boulevard plans on Thursday afternoon (November 10).

Councillor Gwilym Wren said the Environment Agency’s position on the scheme was “hardly a ringing endorsement” of the council’s intentions, with EA representatives lamenting the lack of a three-metre “buffer zone” between the river and the development.

The council has responded to this by offering to plant further trees throughout the site and to create a separate buffer zone nearer to Firepool Weir, provided that it does not impede on the existing cycle path.

Councillor Brenda Weston – who represents the neighbouring Priorswood ward – raised concerns about the amount of designated space that cyclists would enjoy on the boulevard compared to other visitors.

She said: “I cycle around this area here a lot, so I know it well.

“The cycle way looks much wider than the walkway – is that to scale? There seems to be much more space for the bikes than the walkers.

“It’s difficult to know whether people with mobility scooters and so on will have enough room to navigate around there.”

Councillor Ian Aldridge concurred: “I am very much in favour of getting people on bikes, but where you have nothing more than a white line that divides a cycling area from a pedestrian area, I don’t think it results in a very nice environment for the pedestrian.

“Now it seems just to walk on a pavement, you have to understand what white lines mean painted in the ground.

“Although most cyclists are sensible and courteous, there are always some who are not. In Taunton at the moment, there are often cyclists who disregard the safety of people on pavements – and if you say anything to them, you get a mouthful of abuse.”

Simon Fox, the council’s major projects officer for planning, responded: “The reason why the cycle path along the river is wider is so the cyclists can go in opposite directions.

“The path is wide enough that two pedestrians can pass with relative ease.

“The cycle way going down through the middle of the site is segregated and separated from pavements by planting.”

Councillor Roger Habgood welcomed the plans as part of a wider effort to create a “golden thread” between the railway station and Vivary Park.

He said: “We’ve always said that the link from the station to Vivary must happen – and this is the most important bit, in my view.

“It’s a very complex site – the infrastructure is a flipping nightmare, but we’ve done a great job at making the most of it.

“For me, this is a good outcome, and a well-overdue one.”

The committee voted unanimously to approve the plans after around an hour’s debate.

This decision comes shortly after the council confirmed that Montel Civil Engineering would begin site clearing and preparatory works, raising the entire Firepool site out of the flood plain and installing new sewer networks and surface water infrastructure.

As part of this process, the temporary boulevard officially closed to pedestrians and cyclists on Monday (November 14) for up to six months.

Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and transport, stated in early-November: “The issue of flood risk and management was one of the biggest challenges for us to address when preparing Firepool for redevelopment.

“Lifting the site above the flood plain is key to enabling our ambitious development proposals at this accessible and sustainable brownfield location to be brought forward.”

The council recently published a new version of its Firepool masterplan, which incorporates the boulevard and other already approved elements as well as revised proposed for the residential and leisure elements within the site.

The masterplan is due to go out to public consultation on November 21, with the final version coming before the full council for approval in March 2023.