CONSTRUCTION delays have forced Somerset Council to make changes to a new boulevard which will link Taunton railway station to the town centre via the Firepool site.

The council and its chosen contractor began work in mid-May to deliver the new Firepool boulevard, which will run from the access road onto the A3087 Trenchard Way through the brownfield site via a new amphitheatre and link up with the existing walking and cycling routes along the River Tone.

The delivery of the boulevard is expected to cost around £5m, with the money coming from the government’s future high streets fund – meaning the work has to be completed by the end of March 2025.

READ MORE: Firepool, Taunton: Work advances on £13million regeneration

 

But the council has now been forced to change the building materials used on the boulevards after the intended materials were taking too long to source.

The boulevard is split into two distinct sections: the northern boulevard, which will cost around £3m to deliver, and the southern boulevard, which will cost around £2m.

The northern boulevard runs from the new junction on Trenchard Way to Canal Way around the former GWR building, which will be converted into offices, commercial space and a restaurant under plans approved by Somerset West and Taunton Council in March 2022.

The southern boulevard – which was granted planning permission in November 2022 – will run from Canal Way to the existing cycle route along the River Tone, and will include the delivery of a new amphitheatre and water features.

Both boulevards are being delivered in line with the council’s Taunton town centre design guide, which specifies which types of stone and other building materials are appropriate for the delivery of new homes, roads, pavements and other infrastructure.

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Members of the council’s planning committee west unanimously voted on November 19 to allow changes to the design of both Firepool boulevards after officers admitted they could not source the intended materials in time.

Simon Fox, the council’s major planning projects officer, stated in his written report that supply of the original materials was “significantly restricted” due to “inferior” quality of stone being extracted from the affected quarries in Yorkshire.

He added: “To wait for the Scoutmoor Yorkstone material jeopardises the whole project and would result in the loss of government funds.

“This would attract criticism of the council, and more importantly key
public realm and a new town centre cycle link would not be delivered, which
would damage the council’s reputation.

“The change of material would mean that any continuity in exactly the same
surfacing materials between the railway station and Coal Orchard would be lost.

“However, as close a match as possible is being sought and the large expanse of the Firepool boulevard, as will be delivered in this first phase, would at least be consistent.”

Other elements of the future high streets fund grant will be used to deliver a new pedestrian and cycling bridge over the River Tone, which will link the Coal Orchard site to the riverside footpath and Firepool boulevard.

Planning permission for the new bridge was granted in August, but the council has not confirmed when the existing bridge (near the town’s Morrisons store) will be replaced.