Taunton brownfield 'eyesore' could become 'vibrant' place

The Poundstretcher store on the A3027 Bridge Street was demolished in September 2021, having closed its doors for good in August 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Both the site and the riverside footpath on the north bank of the River Tone have been fenced off ever since – though Taunton Town Council has been making efforts to reopen this route by registering it as a public right of way.

Taunton developer Acorn Homes launched a six-week consultation on the future of the site in late-September, putting forward proposals to build up to 50 flats on the site along with several commercial units on the ground floor.

Mark Thomas, managing director of Acorn Homes, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about his ambitions for the sale at a public drop-in event held at St. James’ Church on Friday afternoon (October 25).

Acorn Homes managing director Mark Thomas at the drop-in event (Image: Acorn Homes)

He said: “The site’s sat derelict for a number of years. The old Poundstretcher store was demolished by the owners and they sought several different planning permissions in the interim, which weren’t successful.

“We got involved because we thought this was a really positive step in the regeneration of that part of Taunton.

“We’ve been involved in quite a few schemes around Taunton, and we’re very enthusiastic about bringing this site forward, making it less of an eyesore and more of a vibrant place to live and work.”

The site is regarded as a key development site within Taunton, being earmarked within the Taunton 2040 Vision which was published by Somerset West and Taunton Council in early-2021.

L & C Investments Ltd. put forward plans in April 2023 to redevelop the site into a car park; however, these were officially withdrawn in June 2024.

Acorn Homes has been working on delivering flats on other brownfield sites in Taunton in the last few years, constructing a new block of 44 properties on the Firepool Lock site (near the town’s railway station) as well as converting the Michael Paul House office block on Tower Street (near the planned Taunton transport hub).

These projects have given the company valuable experience in bringing forward much-needed development on challenging sites – such as the Poundstretcher site, which lies one of the town’s busiest roads.

Mr Thomas said: “Logistically, it probably won’t be too bad. The frontage would be a little bit trickier, as there’s the footpath that’s there at the moment.

“As part of our submission, we want to reinstate that and make it a focal point. We’ve got the commercial units on the ground floor, and we can really use those to make that footpath a much more inviting place.

“Historically, that footpath was quite narrow – the Poundstretcher store went right up to the edge of it. The footpath we’re proposing will be quite a lot larger, wider, better paved, better lit and more welcoming.

“Lorries will have to be backed into the site from Tangier Way, but we’ve built a lot of tight sites in Taunton – Michael Paul House, Kingston House and so on. We’re pretty used to dealing with this kind of thing.”

The proposed development will see a mixture of commercial units on the ground floor with between 40 and 50 flats arranged above them over five floors, with a communal garden and undercroft car parking.

Mr Thomas said there had been no initial expressions of interest from potential occupiers of the commercial space, but added: “The shops on the ground floor are very much a planning policy requirement.

“I do think that we will get occupiers for them, because we’re so central, but we’ve purposefully made them quite small so they can be for tenants which have small businesses.

“We’re not that far from the independent quarter, and hopefully we can get a bit of that to spill over the bridge to occupy these units as well.

“We’re trying to make a balanced community rather than a standalone block of flats. We’ve really tried to design it so that you can see the old warehouse that used to be there more than 100 years ago, with a mixture of the modern.”

The company is currently running an online survey on the plans via its official website, which will be open for comments until November 6.

An artist's impression of how the homes could look (Image: Acorn Homes)

Once this has concluded, Mr Thomas said he and his colleagues would hope to submit a planning application by the end of the year – though it could take many months before permission is granted.

He said: “We are hopeful to get comments back from pre-application discussions with the council, the Design Review Panel and the comments we’ve had from this drop-in event – we should get all those within two or three weeks.

“We will then look to change the design as needed to appease as many people as possible, and then hopefully submit a planning application this side of Christmas.

“The council’s planning department probably isn’t’ as well-resourced as it could be, and I think we’d hope to have the consent within 18 months to two years.

“It will then probably takes us another two years to build this – if we’ve built the whole block and it’s occupied within four to five years, we’ve done well.”

To give your views on the proposals, visit www.bit.ly/4dbmLty or email bridgestreet@distinctivecomms.co.uk by November 6.

Anyone wishing to fill in a hard copy of the survey should call 0330 107 0535 and the team will arrange for one to be sent.