Work to demolish a vacant shopping centre in Yeovil town centre will ramp up in a matter of weeks when the next phase of a long-running regeneration programme begins. The £24m Yeovil Refresh programme, which was created by South Somerset District Council, was designed to make numerous improvements to the appearance of Yeovil town centre, making it more attractive to visitors and investors and enabling the delivery of new homes and commercial premises.
Many elements of the public realm improvements at the western end of the town have already been completed, with new benches and planters being installed on Westminster Street and High Street, along with numerous enhancements at the top of Middle Street and Wine Street. Work is also being carried out by the owner of 45 Middle Street (the former British Heart Foundation branch), which has been closed off and surrounded by scaffolding since May 2022 after it was discovered to be “unstable”.
With work on the town’s new amphitheatre at the Triangle almost completed, Somerset Council (which inherited the project in April 2023) is now turning its attention to the regeneration of Glovers Walk and the delivery of residential schemes at three other sites within the town centre. Work to deliver several ‘missing links’, providing walking and cycling connections into the town centre, is also expected to be completed by the spring.
The new amphitheatre has been created on the former bandstand site where Middle Street meets Stars Lane and Vicarage Street, providing seating for 100 people along with new trees and a water feature which will be formally commissioned in the spring. The amphitheatre is designed to provide a focal point for public events (including live music or theatre), with visitors being able to watch sporting events on a giant LED screen which has been erected near the Texas Rocks restaurant.
The new amphitheatre at the Triangle in Yeovil town centre
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, stated shortly before Christmas 2024: “We are incredibly excited to be opening the Triangle in the new year – a completely different space from the former bandstand area. We will be working with partners to deliver a diverse programme of events and activities, maximising the potential the new space will offer in bringing people together and creating a focal point for the town.
“The regeneration of the Triangle has been a long time coming and we thank local businesses for their patience while works have been under way – in particular, Texas Rocks, Neo’s, Chicago Rock and The Entertainer. It has been vital that we get this space right – the community spoke and we listened.
“We very much hope locals and visitors alike will find it an inspiring, relaxing and exciting new addition in making Yeovil a thriving place to live, work and visit.”
Much of the funding for the Yeovil Refresh programme came from the government’s future high streets fund, with £9.75m being allocated by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in December 2020.
Shortly after the general election in July 2024, the council signed an agreement with the government that would see the remaining £4.8m of this grant directed towards delivering four residential schemes within the town centre – with £2.7m being focussed around Glovers Walk. The council announced its intention to buy the vacant shopping centre in August 2024, with a view towards demolishing the structure while retaining the neighbouring bus station.
The initial stages of internal demolition work began in late-October 2024, with utilities within the site being disconnected and asbestos being removed from the fabric of the building. Barricades have now been erected around the site, prohibiting access from both the bus station and along the pedestrianised section of Middle Street – with the council confirming that the demolition work will be accelerated by the early-spring.
A spokesman said: “Walters, the demolition contractors, is erecting hoardings around the Glovers Walk site to make the site safe for further internal demolition works. Access through the site is now closed. The hoardings will be erected by the end of Thursday this week (January 9), but structural demolition won’t begin for another six to eight weeks.”
Once the building is completely demolished, a new space will be created for a temporary ‘meanwhile’ use to ensure it can be used “positively and effectively” until a long-term redevelopment option has been approved.
The council is preparing a masterplan for the long-term future of the site, which is expected to include a mixture of residential and commercial uses, utilising grant funding from Homes England. The masterplan will include options for the future use of the former Wilko store at 88 Middle Street, which is currently within the council’s ownership.
The council confirmed in April 2024 that it would not be selling off this site, describing it as “an important strategic parcel within any regeneration strategy for that part of Yeovil”. Robert Orrett, the council’s head of commercial investment, said at the time: “The property adjoins other council-owned land as well as third party-owned property in need of new uses.
“Any future regeneration of this area of Yeovil would be negatively impacted by the disposal of this building. The commercial value of the building as a vacant asset is very low.”
66 Middle Street in Yeovil town centre, shown near the town’s new amphitheatre
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
The remainder of the future high streets funding is being split on three other residential schemes within reach of the Glovers Walk site – two of which will include commercial elements. A total of £502,000 will be spent delivering 18 flats and revamped commercial space at 66 Middle Street (the former Turquoise Kitchen restaurant, near the new amphitheatre), and £301,000 will be used to deliver nine flats and commercial space at 96 Middle Street (provided that planning permission is swiftly granted).
The final £1,440,500 will go towards delivering 43 affordable flats at Grimsby Corner, as part of a scheme from Taunton-based Acorn Homes. In each case, the government funding will be used to pump-prime the development sites (including the recently-completed demolition at Grimsby Corner), allowing the private sector is deliver each project in a viable manner.
In addition to these improvements, the spring will see the conclusion of three new active travel schemes within the town’s ‘eastern corridor’, funded by £1.2m of grants from the Department for Transport (DfT). On Hendford, the existing pavement on the western side will be widened to include a cycle lane, which will connect up with the existing lanes and crossings over Brunswick Street – providing a safer route to the Goldenstones Leisure Centre and the Yeovil Country Park.
Planned site of nine flats and commercial space at 96 Middle Street in Yeovil town centre
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
This section will terminate at the existing roundabout with West Hendford and South Street, with cyclists being able to continue onto the pedestrianised area near the clock tower and on towards Middle Street. On South Street itself, wider crossing points will be provided where the road meets Addlewell Lane, Bond Street and Park Street.
A new cycle lane will be provided along the eastern section of South Street, running on the left-hand pavement past the car wash and running towards the new amphitheatre. The existing pavements around the junction with Stars Lane will be widened, with a on-road cycle lane being extended down to the junction between Stars Lane and Old Station Road.
This will connect up with the existing crossings and the route around the Yeo Leisure Park (which includes Cineworld, Nuffield Health and Pizza Hut), which provides connections to the country park and east towards Yeovil Pen Mill railway station. The pedestrian crossing over South Western Terrace will be completely revamped, with new on-road cycle lanes and other improvements being implemented at the junction with Central Road and Middle Street, near the William Dampier pub.
Planned site of 48 flats at Grimsby Corner on Earle Street in Yeovil town centre
(Image: Daniel Mumby)
In addition to these prominent schemes, the council will carry out some drainage work and minor patching on the route from Yeovil Country Park to Yeovil Pen Mill railway station.
For more information on the Yeovil Refresh, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/business-economy-and-licences/yeovil-refresh .
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