THE project to regenerate Bridgwater's Northgate site took another big step closer this week after planning permission was granted.

Sedgemoor District Council, which owns the site and will be fully funding the scheme, want Northgate to become a premier attraction for Bridgwater, complete with a seven-screen cinema, four restaurants, a gym and a car park with 111 spaces.

Now that planning permission has been approved, construction will be able to begin, and it is hoped the new facilities will be operational in 2021.

It has already been agreed that Scott Cinemas, which runs the existing cinema on Mount Street will run the new seven-screen theatre and vacate its current premises.

Sedgemoor District Council consider that the Northgate scheme will be an important addition to the town centre, creating 'vitality, vibrancy and a hub for leisure activities' for the growing town.

The council had previously considered partnering with a developer on the scheme but decided to take the lead role to ensure delivery of a sustainable scheme which delivers a range of economic improvements to the town centre as a whole as well increasing Council revenue.

The detailed planning application for the development of the new cinema and leisure scheme on council-owned land at Northgate in Bridgwater town centre can be found by searching for application 08/19/00166 on the planning section of the Sedgemoor District Council website.

Other elements of the Northgate scheme have so far completed with the construction of Northgate Primary School and Blake Car Park.

Construction on the new Aldi supermarket at Northgate is well underway and is expected to be complete later this year.

The final piece of the jigsaw set to be the possible enhancements and extension of Brewery Field which links Northgate to the Bridgwater Docks.