A Taunton councillor has called for a U-turn on “ill-conceived” plans to sell off and demolish a key car park in the town centre.

Somerset Council agreed as part of its annual budget (set in February) to sell off large amounts of underutilised land, property and other assets in order to balance its books.

The government has allowed the council to use the proceeds from these sales to fund day-to-day services (under a ‘capitalisation directive’), with £36.9m of receipts being built into the 2024/25 budget.

One of the proposals involves selling off the High Street car park in Taunton (also known as the Mary Street car park), with the existing structure being demolished and then redeveloped into housing.

But Councillor John Hunt (whose Bishop’s Hull and Taunton West division includes the site) has called for this decision to be reversed, arguing it will hurt the town’s “already fragile” economy.

The multi-storey car park lies off the A38 Upper High Street in the town centre, next to the Quantock House retirement flats and opposite a separate multi-storey car park above the Orchard Shopping Centre.

The car park has been subject to antisocial behaviour issues for many years and was damaged in a recent fire.

Mr Hunt represents the Bishop’s Hull and Taunton West division as an independent – the division which includes both multi-storey car parks and a large portion of the town centre.

At the most recent full council meeting in Bridgwater on September 26, he said: “At the executive meeting on August 5, on the assumption that the car park is to be replaced, probably with flats, I commented ‘it will help address
lingering issues of antisocial behaviour in this part of the town.’

“I went on to say ‘an alternative use for the site is a good idea from that perspective.’

“This was understandably taken by several residents to mean that I supported the removal of this very popular car park, which I do not.

“In fact, I’d rather see the existing car park secured and policed properly, particularly at night.

“There has been a lot of public concern over the loss of this vital facility, and I feel that I must support residents’ calls for the High Street car park to be
withdrawn from sale.”

Mr Hunt said the car park was one of the most convenient for Taunton shoppers, and that redeveloping the site would hurt the town’s economy and potentially put off visitors.

He said: “This car park is used mostly by shoppers and commuters during the
day, while in the evening, the ground floor is used by the many people taking advantage of the thriving local entertainment facilities, such as the Creative Innovation Centre (CICCIC), The Lawns and the many restaurants and public houses nearby.

“It was suggested at the August executive meeting that people could use the
multi-story as an alternative.

“Can you imagine leaving The Lawns or CICCIC after dark and walking into the multi-story, which is very difficult to access? It is closed in the evening for good reason

“We are trying to attract people to Taunton, if they cannot park, they will not come. Yes, in a perfect world they’d all use the park and ride, cycle or walk – however, in the real world, they want to drive.

“Losing these 269 conveniently situated spaces will hugely affect Taunton’s already fragile economy.”

The council has not provided an estimate of how much the sale of the car park site could generate, citing commercial sensitivity.

It intends to generate between £17m and £21m within the next 12 to 18 months through the sale of non-operational assets – a list which also includes C Block at County Hall, the Market House on Fore Street and part of the Firepool regeneration site.

Mr Hunt added: “This facility is currently generating enough revenue to cover the estimated freehold valuation in short order, thus making the decision to dispose of this car park ill-conceived, in my opinion.

“Of course, I realise the council needs to sell assets; however, selling
this one will undoubtedly damage our county town’s economy, while making no financial sense whatsoever, based on the figures provided to me.

“I therefore ask that this car park is removed from the list of proposed
disposals.”

Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, said there was sufficient capacity within other car parks within the town centre to offset the loss of this site.

He said: “While we have an immediate need for asset rationalisation, we also need to make sure we develop a strategic view on these matters for the long term, that takes into consideration the needs of the garden town moving forward.

“The executive considered the list of assets as part of an ongoing review of a disposal programme to rationalise our property and land portfolio, to reduce holding and management costs and to achieve the capital receipts which will help to bridge the gap for the current financial year.

“This car park was put forward for release by our parking services team, who noted that the capacity requirements can be accommodated by the council’s own Orchard multi-storey car park.

“As you noted, there have been reports of antisocial behaviour issues, and this car park requires ongoing management and investment in maintenance.

“The income in parking fees does not take into account the ongoing maintenance costs, business rates and the required refurbishment to enable the car park to be a parking destination of choice.

“There is car parking capacity in the Orchard car park during the day and the Crescent car park, which is well-located for local needs.

“A potential housing development would deliver additional revenue to the council via council tax. Officers will be submitting a planning application in due course.”