THROUGHOUT the years, Taunton town centre has changed dramatically.
Different shops have come and go, and parts of the town have become pedestrianised.
St James’ Street became pedestrianised in May 2019 - and could be set to continue. And even East Street has been closed to the public this year to allow for social distancing to take place.
Debenhams in Taunton is also closing after it was bought by online fashion retailer, Boohoo.
But now we have places like Taunton Independent Quarter and Bath Place - full of smaller, independent shops and businesses.
Nigel Pearce from Taunton’s Chamber of Trade believes these closures create opportunities for alternative businesses.
“The loss is a great concern, but it does create new opportunities for other alternative businesses,” he said.
“Although shoppers are attracted by the ease of online shopping, most are concerned about the decline and will visit and support our local shops if the offer is right, and this can and is being created by the independents and specialist shops. St James Street and Bath Place are great examples.
“Local people will also always need service-led outlets, and town centres need to adapt and provide an experience that people want to engage with. This is perhaps why hospitality and hairdressers has seen such a large rise in recent years.
“Additional housing will also make a difference. We are already seeing new residential developments in the town centre and these will no doubt be supplemented by further conversions and changes of use of unused office space.
“This will change the centres from somewhere we visit to a place where people live, work and have a social life all within one area. Its an opportunity for businesses to fulfil that requirement.
“Covid has had a devastating effect on many businesses, but there are some good news stories where businesses have adapted to the challenge and continued to do well.
“This is perhaps the key to what needs to continue to keep our high streets a great place to be.”
If you have any memories of Taunton town centre, don’t forget to join our We Grew Up In Taunton Facebook group by visiting
Old photos of the town centre:
Photos of Taunton now:
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