Project Taunton

Overview

Project Taunton is managing the high quality, sustainable regeneration of four key areas of Taunton, comprising approximately 50 hectares of under-utilised land. The main development areas are:

• The new commercial core, Firepool, is currently a brownfield site incorporating the former livestock market. Adjoining the railway station and alongside the River Tone, it will provide high quality office and residential developments along the riverside, complemented by retail and leisure facilities.
• The cultural quarter will benefit from major improvements to existing facilities. It includes Somerset County Cricket Club, the Brewhouse Theatre & Arts Centre and the Museum. The new creative heart of Taunton will bustle with a mix of independent shops, cafes, creative workshops and apartments linked by new and improved riverside walkways and open spaces.
• The main retail area is currently sub-standard and is the subject of an important study which will result in major redevelopment. A new array of shops and public spaces will help shoppers reconnect with the town centre environment and attract visitors from the surrounding areas.
• Tangier provides an opportunity for edge of town mixed-use development. An ideal riverside location for businesses seeking flexible managed office space, for shopping and high quality homes.
• Each of the development areas will be linked by the River Tone. A fundamental part of the regeneration is to reinstate the river as a significant focus of the town.

Website

www.projecttaunton.co.uk

Description

• Taunton was identified as a Principal Urban Area in 2002. It is a Government designated Strategically Significant City or Town (SSCT) and Growth Point.
• Following careful development and preparation, implementation of the Vision for Taunton plans began in autumn 2005.
• The Project Taunton team was appointed in 2005 to enable the delivery of the plans.

The Cultural Offer - a Summary
Project Taunton is part of the Taunton Cultural Partnership. The Partnership’s long term vision focuses on the concept of a thriving ‘Cultural Quarter’, resulting from the town’s large scale regeneration.

• Somerset Cricket Ground - Work has already started to extend the ground and provide new amenities. The new West Stand and members stand have been completed and a new ‘Club Hub’ is being built, which will create international standard changing rooms and player facilities. The latter will allow the club to attract international fixtures, like the ICC World Twenty20 Women’s matches in June 2009.
• Somerset Square - A newly created public space, extending to the water’s edge, will provide a setting for new retirement appartments, a restaurant, hugely improved access and external performance space for the theatre. Work will be completed in late summer 2009.
• Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre - Both interior and the exterior plans for improvements to the Brewhouse are at an advanced stage. The exterior works, an extension of Taunton’s new Somerset Square, will be completed in 2009. In accordance with a specialist consultant’s study, architects are drawing up plans for a phased development of the theatre itself, to include a larger auditorium, fly tower, restaurant and gallery facilities.
• Library - A replacement library will be required when work begins on the retail centre. A potential riverside location would provide a home right at the heart of the cultural quarter, facilitating a cross fertilisation of cultural and arts provision.
• Museum and Castle - The museum, which is housed in part of Taunton’s Medieval Castle, has been awarded a £4.85M Heritage Lottery grant for a major renovation. The aim is to create a visitor attraction that will tell the story of Somerset from prehistoric times to the present day, and display its history and heritage in exciting new ways. The Museum of Somerset will offer greatly improved services for visitors including a cafe, extended opening times and a large temporary gallery capable of staging national touring exhibitions. It is hoped that visitor numbers will double to over 60,000 annually. Plans also allow for the restoration of Taunton Castle itself, parts of which date back to the 12th century. Much more of the castle will be opened up to the public, and there will be vastly improved access for people with disabilities
• Castle Green - An extensive reconfiguration and renewal of the town’s former Saxon outer bailey will create a new and well-connected, public space and appropriate setting for the Museum of Somerset, in the heart of the ‘Cultural Quarter’. Castle Green will include a capacity to host outside music and events, patio areas for existing pubs and restaurants, new landscaping, seating and feature lighting for the historic buildings. Work will be completed in summer 2010 to coincide with the reopening of the Museum.

Sustainability
Many regeneration schemes claim to be sustainable, but Project Taunton is truly pioneering. It aspires to be the first commercially viable net zero carbon development and is setting new standards at a national level. It has defined its sustainability criteria and requirements in the ground breaking ‘Taunton Protocol’. This outlines Taunton’s unique stance on sustainable development, and is set to become an exemplary model for the country as a whole. Developers involved in the regeneration will be expected to sign up to the Protocol, which covers a range of elements, from design and build, to power generation, sustainable lifestyles and biodiversity
    

Audience

Taunton residents and businesses.

Who and Why?

The project was for Taunton residents and businesses to upgrade their facilities for home life, work and leisure.

Start

2005

End

ongoing

Partners

Partners include Local Authorities, Arts Council, MLA, Private Sector representatives, Tourism, Education, Arts and Culture providers.

Outcomes

The regeneration of Taunton will create:

• 80,000m² of new employment space
• At least 7,000 new jobs
• 50,000m² of new retail space
• More than 2,000 new homes in the town centre
• Support at least 18,000 new homes across the whole of Taunton

Impact

• Improved local facilities, enabling capacity for new job creation
• Provision of increased and improved housing and commercial space

Contact details

Robbie Lowes - Project Taunton   

Email robbie.lowes@projecttaunton.co.uk