Taunton High Street 'redundant' spaces repurposed into homes

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‘REDUNDANT’ spaces along the high street in Taunton are being repurposed into new homes for residents as part of a new initiative.

The face of the high street is changing with the rise in operating costs and increased competition from online shopping, causing some retailers to downsize or vacate space altogether, leaving upper floors above shops ‘underutilised’.

At the same time, with an increasing need for more housing putting pressure on green spaces, there has been a move to encourage the conversion of unused retail spaces into residential units.

Summerfield, a Taunton-based property developer with a wide-ranging portfolio of commercial property across the South West, says it has responded to this change by working with its tenants to convert redundant upper-floor retail space and deliver ‘high-quality’ homes for rent.

In Taunton High Street, Summerfield let ground-floor premises to an art gallery and converted the two floors above into three one-bedroom and one two-bedroom apartments, all of which are now fully let.

Above White Stuff in North Street, where the retailer no longer required the whole building, Summerfield carried out a refurbishment of the upper floors, providing two two-bedroom apartments, whilst the retailer continues to trade from the ground floor.

Will Grant, Portfolio Director for Summerfield, said: "Town centres have changed significantly in recent years.

"The rise of online shopping has led many retailers to reduce their physical footprint, leaving upper floors increasingly underutilised and, in many cases, vacant.

"We are working closely with our tenants across the portfolio to help them optimise their space, including the strategic recovery and repurposing of surplus upper floors for residential and alternative uses.

"In doing so, we are increasing the supply of town centre homes and, in turn, supporting the long-term revitalisation of the high street."

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