Taunton - Discussions about transforming Crown Walk

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, lead member for communities, housing revenue account, culture, equalities and diversity, said she has been championing how Somerset Council can work towards tidying up and improving Crown Walk.

Taunton Town Council set up a meeting, which Cllr Mike Ridby, lead member for economic development, planning and assets, attended, along with the owner Quintin Bull, who runs Taunton Central Holdings, to discuss ‘the challenges being faced’ specifically involving antisocial behaviour in the area and seeing what could be done moving forward.

This follows shop owners saying they've become increasingly 'intimidated' by a large presence of rough sleepers in the passage and shoppers using the space as a cut-through in town, saying they find the walkway 'frightening'.

Planning aspirations are in place to convert some of the property into residential spaces, particularly the upper floors, and planning permission has been secured to convert what was previously Bar 61 into three commercial units.

Cllr Mike Rigby said: “As part of the operation, we are working with [the owners] to see what they can do to secure the place better. We have obviously seen that there have been rough sleepers here over the recent years, and I think there is a way through all this.”

Inside Crown Walk, Taunton. (Image: Newsquest)

In response, Quintin Bull said: "We welcomed the opportunity to meet with Cllr Mike Rigby and colleagues to discuss plans to improve the property.

"We were delighted to have constructive engagement from the Council, and we are pleased that both sides are working together with the aim of improving the site.

"We are working with the Council to find the best use of the space, given the regulatory, economic and retail environment."

Following discussions with Somerset Council and Taunton Town Council, a meeting has been organised with the owners, their agents, and Somerset Council planners to ‘make sure the aspirations for additional residential accommodation can move forward’, and to make sure the owners don’t have the same problems they have had ‘for some time’.

Councillor Bev Fernandes, chair of the community and place committee, said: "Crown Walk has needed attention for a while, and I am so pleased that the owner, their agent, Taunton Town Council and Somerset Council have had a site meeting and discussed the issues.

"These things are never straightforward; there are planning and regulatory constraints, but the good news is that there is now a collective effort to move things forward, which is great news for our businesses and communities."

According to Cllr Mike Rigby, the transformation of the space would have been sorted years ago if it weren’t for neutrality issues, which derailed the owners' last planning application submission.

Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts said this has been a ‘challenging’ process, involving working and communicating with the council, and while the owners are open-minded to suggestions residents have put forward, it is ‘not as easy as just shuttering it off’ due to building regulations and fire safety.

He said: “We need to find a way around the problems that that has cause and we are positive we can do that.”