Taunton town centre car park plans resubmitted to council

The Poundstretcher store closed in August 2020 and was demolished between September and November 2021

A new car park could be created in Taunton after developers said they had resolved traffic issues which caused an earlier application to be refused.

L & C Investments Ltd applied to build a car park on the former Poundstretcher site, off the A3807 Wood Street, in November 2021.

Somerset West and Taunton Council refused the plans in February, citing "conflicting traffic movements".

The council is set to make a decision on the revised plans by the summer.

L & C Investments Ltd plans to create the car park on the site of the demolished store, which is in the town centre on a prominent site overlooking the River Tone.

It says its resubmitted proposals have taken into account the council's fears over traffic on and around Wood Street.

The plans include 50 spaces for cars and a designated area for motorcycles, as well as the restoration of a footpath along the river, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A spokesman for D2 Planning, representing the applicant, said: "The site is identified as a residential site by the council and the car park would represent an acceptable use in the interim while more longer-term development proposals are considered and assessed.

"The proposal will include the reopening of the riverside path which unfortunately cannot be opened until a positive decision on the application can be made."

The site is included within the Taunton 2040 Vision published by Somerset West and Taunton Council in 2021, with officials earmarking the site for up to 31 flats along with ground floor commercial space.