If you have taken a trip through Taunton town centre recently you won't have failed to notice the number of empty shops.

These vacant premises sadly litter our beautiful high street which is still recuperating from the long-lasting effects of the Covid lockdown.

Some businesses never recovered from having to shut their doors, while others suffered a slower decline after reopening, never quite able to find their feet again.

And there are a few buildings that have stood empty long before the pandemic even happened.

We took a walk around this week (Tuesday, September 20) starting at perhaps the most egregious example, the old Debenhams building.

From there we went up North Street and around onto East Street before doubling back.

We then went up Fore Street through the pedestrianised area and headed towards Vivary Park. 

We then went back down and around to Corporation Street before finishing our loop on the other side of North Street. We then went over the bridge and did an additional circuit down Bridge Street and back before finishing where we started.

In total, we counted 24 empty premises, which can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the story.

But it's not all bad news. There are several green shoots of recovery coming through. Several new businesses have started up recently, with more on the way.

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There are also encouraging signs for a few premises if the signs in the windows are anything to go by.

There appears to be some moving and shaking going on at the old Bill's building and there are a few planning applications swirling around for a few other places.

Taunton still has a hustling and bustling feeling about it and if we can get these empty buildings filled, the future of the high street could be very exciting.