We have successfully bid for funding from the West of England Combined Authority’s (WECA's) Housing and Regeneration Enabling Fund, to create regeneration plans and masterplans for four town centres in Bath and North East Somerset.
The first plan was for Radstock, and the Regeneration Action Plan has been developed in partnership with Radstock Town Council and local stakeholders.
Housing and employment growth anticipated for the town and surrounding area means that there will be more reliance on the town centre for facilities, services, employment and entertainment. However, in recent years Radstock Town Centre has lacked vibrancy and it is now a challenging trading environment with lower than desired footfall.
Radstock town centre is a designated town centre in the B&NES Local Plan and is a focal area for the community. The Radstock Regeneration Action Plan has been guided by the existing Local Plan and will feed into the development of the new Local Plan.
The action plan focuses on improvements to the vitality and viability of the Town Centre and has identified opportunities for the following activities to revitalise the area:
- better place branding
- High Street renewal activities such as community and cultural events and markets
- improving the skills of the local workforce
- improving town centre public space, heritage assets, facilities and infrastructure
- providing the framework to link to green infrastructure and existing regeneration programmes
Working with key stakeholders, including Radstock Town Council, businesses and the community, a draft Regeneration Action Plan has been developed which identifies priority projects. The plan will also be used to support future funding bids and inform investment plans and future strategies for the town.
Public consultation took place in 2022 and 2023 and feedback from this and project scoping has informed the following priority projects:
- improvements to community facilities in the town centre (such as acquisition of Trinity Church or other premises) which provides community space (café, events, meetings, networking, business use, workshops) and a home for Radstock Town Council & library)
- outdoor events: spaces have been identified as offering potential for hosting vibrant, engaging events.
- cultural programme: Programme Co-ordinator has been appointed by Radstock Town Council and the programme focuses on arts and heritage, engagement, participation, skills, and training; with the aim of celebrating Radstock's cultural identity and encouraging arts and heritage activity in Radstock Town Centre
- brownfield site redevelopment, reuse & repurposing will be encouraged
- tree Planting in Radstock town centre will take place in 2024
- green and blue spaces within the town centre will be assessed to see how they might be improved and managed for the benefit of the local community and nature
- energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy: site redevelopments that take place in Radstock will also be encouraged to incorporate retrofitting and renewable energy solutions
- wayfinding, streetscape improvements and parking: funding is being sought to provide improved wayfinding in the town centre. Discussions are ongoing with our Parking Team to investigate the possibility of carrying out a further review of parking
- re-occupation and temporary use of vacant units will be looked at where possible
- improve the town centre offer: funding has been received for a Changing Places toilet in Tom Huyton Park which was installed in autumn 2023. Other opportunities will be investigated
In March 2024, the plan will be endorsed for decision making purposes and to inform future funding bids.