Taunton above national benchmark for empty shopping units

The extent of the problem can be seen by taking a short walk around the town centre. 

There are 22 empty shopping units across East Street, Fore Street, North Street and High Street, and another four in Orchard Shopping Centre.

There are also three large, vacant business and office buildings in Hammet Street. 

Taunton Chamber of Commerce, a not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes the interests of local businesses, says the county town "remains a place where there are great opportunities to fill those empty units which are available".  

Since the start of the pandemic, several major retailers have closed their outlets in Taunton including Debenhams, Next and Topshop/Topman. 

Other town centre properties have been vacant for a number of years such as the Royal Bank of Scotland's former site, which has been empty since August 2018. 

Some buildings formerly used by independent businesses also do not have new tenants, including the Grade II*-listed site previously known as Handsome Harry's and then Retro in East Street.  

In some cases, plans are in place to find new uses for empty properties. 

A developer, 48-49 North Street Taunton Ltd, applied for change of use permission in August to turn the former NatWest building into four ground-floor residential flats. 

Planning permission had already been granted to convert offices in the building into 16 apartments, with a further two flats on the first floor.

A notice attached to another empty North Street unit, previously used by shoe shop Ecco, says an application has been submitted to Somerset West and Taunton Council for a premises licence under the Gambling Act 2005. 

The former Party On store, which closed after 18 years in June 2018, is set to become a café that serves sandwiches, crêpes, salads, cakes, and a range of hot and soft drinks, according to signs in its windows. 

The site of Henry's, a former bar and café, may become a shop and 10 apartments, which would see an extension added and alterations made to parts of the building. 

However, many stores remain boarded-up and have uncertain futures. 

Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) has recognised the impact of the pandemic on smaller local businesses alongside "the wave of well-known national retail and dining outlets closing their stores" in town centres across the country. 

The council has taken several steps to support local shops and businesses, such as by launching the £500,000 Town Centre Recovery Fund in July 2020 and making around 22,000 grant payments across the district. 

EMPTY: Taunton's Debenhams store was one of 16 that closed on May 2, 2021

Councillor Marcus Kravis, executive member for economic development at SWT, said: "Unfortunately, Taunton - in common with town centres across the country - has been impacted by the wave of well-known national retail and dining outlets closing their stores, along with several smaller retailers who have been affected by the Covid-19 restrictions.

"We do carry out a quarterly vacant unit count to identify how Taunton compares to the regional and the national picture and we are currently above the national benchmark.

"However, we recognise the need to keep thinking of ways to support our local shops and businesses to improve sales and attract more customers in the changing marketplace and this is more important than ever as we begin the economic recovery from coronavirus.

"We have a range of measures in place to support our traders and businesses and to help make our town centres an attractive destination for not only business, but for visitors and residents.

"Backing our town centres was a key focus of the £500,000 Town Centre Recovery Fund launched by SWT in July 2020 to help businesses fully recover and grow back stronger from the impact of Covid-19 as part of our commitment to recovery, investment, jobs and opportunity.

"The half-a-million-pound investment is helping our town centres through the most challenging time in their history with a programme of emergency measures designed to aid these vital social and economic hubs.

"The council was the first in Somerset to provide the ShopAppy.com platform free of charge for 12 months in October 2020, allowing local businesses to boost trade by selling and showcasing their goods and services using the online e-commerce platform.

"We have also made just under 22,000 grant payments totalling £78m to businesses across the district affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and have just launched a new Business Revitalisation Grant to provide further help to businesses that have borne the brunt of Covid restrictions."

Taunton Chamber of Commerce says there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of the town centre. 

The chamber has pointed out that footfall in the town has risen above 2019 levels and referenced the success of recent events, including a scaled-down flower show and the return of independent markets to Castle Green in April. 

FLOWER SHOW: Nick and Emma Wade of Gardeners Delight Nursery at the 2021 event

Colin Barrell, town centre liaison at Taunton Chamber of Commerce, said: "The majority of the larger empty units in the town centre were occupied by some of the larger national chains such as Debenhams and Topshop, and this has been the case in practically every major shopping town and city in the country.

"However, Taunton does have a good story to tell, in that the footfall in the town centre is now at levels above where it was in 2019, the businesses which have survived the Covid lockdowns have come back to offer a wide variety of places to shop and eat, and Taunton remains a place where there are great opportunities to fill those empty units which are available.

"There has been a good deal of positive activity in the town to make the experience for locals and visitors a good one.

"We have had the re-emergence of the independent markets on Castle Green and the Heart Trail, which was great fun for families.

"We had a scaled-down flower show event, there have been various street entertainers at the weekends, and there is a programme of activities to take place in the lead-up to Christmas.

"On top of that, we have fantastic entertainment venues such as The Brewhouse and Creative Innovation Centre (CICCIC), and an abundance of quality places to eat and drink within a short walk of the centre.

"For those entrepreneurs looking for a site to open with a great future ahead, now would be the right time to do a deal with a landlord and secure a prime location, whether that be on a main street, the Orchard Shopping Centre or the Independent Quarter around St. James Street."