Somerset councillors took just ten minutes to unanimously approve additional upgrades to Bridgwater town centre.

Sedgemoor District Council has been working for many years to deliver the ‘Celebration Mile’, providing a safe and attractive route between Bridgwater railway station and the Northgate Docks via the town centre.

The project forms part of the £22.6m Bridgwater town deal, with the council’s executive committee voting in early June to allocate £9m towards delivering three key stretches of the route.

Two phases of the Celebration Mile have already been granted planning permission, with the improvements to Clare Street being given the green light in July and the stretch along Eastover and Salmon Parade being approved in October.

The council’s development committee has now given its backing to the final stretch along Angel Crescent – meaning work on implementing all three schemes can begin early in the new year.

The Angel Crescent scheme will see seven new retail units created by enclosing the covered walkways under the Angel Place shopping centre.

New seating and trees will be provided along the route, with the existing steps and ramp into the shopping centre being repaired.

Finally, a new toucan crossing will be installed to provide a safer connection over Mount Street to the Northgate Yard leisure complex, which opened its doors in late October.

This revamp of Angel Crescent will coincide with a separate town deal project, with a vacant office being purchased to provide flexible workspace for start-ups and small businesses, at a total cost of £700,000.

Councillor Stuart Kingham raised concerns about the safety of the proposals when the council’s development committee convened in Bridgwater on Tuesday afternoon (November 15).

He said: “I notice on the existing Angel Place, at the back of the alcoves there are several doors. Are they private doors or just access to the shops?”

Planning officer Dean Titchener clarified that these doors provided access to the shopping centre, and would be retained to provide a safe emergency access in the event of a fire.

After just ten minutes’ debate, the committee voted unanimously to approve the plans.

 

Construction work on all three approved stages of the Celebration Mile, along with the start-up facility, is expected to begin in early-2023.