Plans to improve the appearance of Wincanton town centre have been put on hold following a change of heart by elected officials.

South Somerset District Council has committed more than £2M towards regenerating Wincanton, focussing on schemes to improve the appearance of the town centre, organising cultural events and giving grants to bring prominent buildings back into a decent state.

The council’s district executive committee voted in early-July to grant additional funding to allow three public realm improvement schemes to begin in the autumn.

But these three schemes have now been put on hold until the new unitary Somerset Council takes control following a U-turn by regeneration board members.

The three public realm improvements within Wincanton comprised:

  • A “light touch de-clutter” on the western side of Carrington Way, with an improved crossing, new planted areas in front of the library, wider pavements and two new on-street parking bays
  • Wider pavements on the central section of High Street to give pedestrians more room and encourage road users in both directions to slow down
  • Safer crossing points for pedestrians in the Market Place, along with more planted areas and improvements to existing historic buildings

The Wincanton regeneration board met on Monday evening (August 1), chaired by councillor Sarah Dyke.

Ms Dyke – who lives in Cucklington, around four miles from the town – said the board had voted to focus on bringing empty premises in the town back into use for the remainder of the district council’s lifespan, which ends on April 1, 2023 when the new unitary authority takes over.

If this ‘change of scope’ is approved by the district executive committee, the public realm improvements will be passed to the new unitary “to be considered for future delivery after funding opportunities are explored” – meaning they may not get under way until later in 2023, if it all.

Ms Dyke said: “Feedback from partners and local people has informed our decision to focus on the re-use of empty premises in the remaining months of the project.

“As a district council, we are committed to regenerating Wincanton town centre.

“The 2019 town centre strategy set out ideas for the re-use of redundant buildings by introducing small scale mixed-use development, which offers the opportunity for commercial space and modest residential provision appropriate to the setting.

“We are excited to be advancing this work, which should bring about real change in Wincanton.”