MAJOR safety improvements as part of a regeneration scheme are set to be complete by the end of the month.

The Chard Town Centre Regeneration scheme's safety improvements at Boden Street are on track to be complete by April.

Kerbing and drainage works at Boden Street are due to be completed shortly, making way for the new asphalt to be laid by the end of the month.

This means that the brand new footway along the east side of Boden Street will be in place by April – a major safety improvement for anyone walking into town from Boden Street car park, as well as pedestrian access to Chard Leisure Centre.

The works are part of the Chard High Street Heritage Action Zone and South Somerset District Council (SSDC) Chard Regeneration project.

READ MORE: Work starts on town centre improvements in Chard this month

Work has been carried out by contractor Alun Griffiths.

This is in addition to changes made to the Boden Street car park junction and Marketfield junction, which delivered improved visibility for traffic entering and exiting.

This makes it safer for vehicles accessing the car parks, and for pedestrians crossing the junctions.

Planting has also recently been completed at Boden Street car park, enhancing the look of the area.

Cllr Jason Baker, Portfolio Holder for Chard Regeneration, said: “It is fantastic to see so many areas of the town centre improvement works almost complete.

"The safety of residents, visitors and leisure centre members is of utmost importance and the new footway at Boden Street is a great step towards improving this.

“I understand that some local businesses may be temporarily inconvenienced by the works and I would like to thank business owners and the public for their patience during this time and look forward to seeing them benefit from the improvements in the near future.

"This work is essential for the regeneration of the town centre and it will create a much more attractive environment for everyone that uses it.”

READ MORE: Chard regeneration scheme scaled back as council 'unrealistic' about leisure centre cost

Other improvement works taking place in the town include:

The installation of stone paving and granite kerbs along Fore Street is almost complete, with the walkway connecting Superdrug to the Post Office now open. Howard’s Row has also been repaved with natural stone and is complete.

  • New, blue lias stone channels, which carry Chard’s unique water rills through the town centre, are now 90% installed. The lias is locally quarried.
  • With thanks to additional funding from Historic England, two new trees will be planted in Fore Street, replacing those that were damaged and removed in the past. A total of nine new trees are due to be planted across the town centre as part of the scheme.
  • On Holyrood Street, utility diversions are nearly complete and the new kerbs and paving are being laid between Pig Lane and the Bath House Hotel, before continuing on up to the High Street junction.

To find out more about the Chard Regeneration scheme visit chardregeneration.co.uk.