Shopping centre can be knocked down after council deal

Glover's Walk in Yeovil will be demolished

A disused shopping centre is set to be demolished as part of a £24m town centre transformation.

Empty units in Glover’s Walk, Yeovil, can be knocked down after Somerset Council completed a deal to buy the site from Martin Property Group.

The move will kick off the final phase of the Yeovil Refresh regeneration project, which began in 2019.

The council said the newly-acquired land will be temporarily repurposed to “add value” to the town while longer-term options are explored.

These include new shops and affordable housing, with the town’s bus station unaffected by any redevelopment.

Mike Rigby, the council’s lead member for economic development, planning and assets, said: “We are very pleased to finally be the new owners of Glover’s Walk and look forward to working with our neighbours ahead of works commencing on the delivery of an attractive, flexible, income-generating space for Yeovil.

Images show how part of the town centre could look once Yeovil Refresh is finished

“High streets across the country have been affected by the new ways in which customers buy goods and services.

“The regeneration of this part of Yeovil will build on the Refresh works that have been delivered over the last few years, in building a more attractive town centre.”

Government funding worth £4.8m helped the council secure the site.

It said it will use the money, reallocated from the original Future High Streets Funding bid projects, to create mixed use developments in Middle Street, Wyndham Street and Glover’s Walk.

Gary Martin, a director at Martin Property Group, said: “We are delighted to have completed the sale of this strategic and important site in Yeovil, having worked closely with Somerset Council over the past 12 months to make this happen.

“As new owners, the council is best positioned to maximise the potential of the site and its impact within Yeovil in the years ahead.”