THE regeneration of Chard will be “operational by 2020” – though physical progress on the ground may not be seen until the end of next year.

South Somerset District Council published plans in June to regenerate Chard town centre, providing a new swimming pool and leisure centre on the former ACI site and converting Boden Mill into a “cultural and public sector hub”.

The council has been consulting with residents over the past three months, and has confirmed it will be submitting plans to demolish the former ACI buildings by the end of the year.

But the actual demolition of these buildings may not take place until “the latter end” of 2019, due to delays in the planning and procurement process.

An update on the regeneration plans came before the council’s area west committee in Chard on Wednesday evening (September 19).

Jeb Farrah, the regeneration scheme’s project manager, summarised the findings of the public consultation thus far in her written report.

A total of 506 people attended the regeneration launch event in Chard on June 16, of which 137 left written comments. Since then, a further 32 responses have been received.

These are the things which Chard residents said they wanted most from the scheme:

  • The leisure centre and swimming pool, “ideally with places to eat and socialise”
  • A community hub which would “host a range of public services”
  • Support for local businesses, including advice for “small independent retailers, new workspace and a covered market” – the latter of which would “offer a different retail experience” to that currently provided
  • “Affordable and interesting attractions” which are aimed at young people
  • Open and green spaces for events and wider community use
  • Adequate car parking, including the possibility of free parking
  • A cinema, or a suitable areas where films can be shown in public

Residents said they would prefer “bespoke, boutique or niche” retail outlets, rather than more major brands or chain stores, and that any of the changes should not “lose or detract from the existing character of the town.”

They also argued for the museum remaining in its current location due to its “unique atmosphere”, called for better public transport to and from the town, and questioned whether business rates in the town centre were too high.

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Ms Farrah confirmed in her report the council would submit a planning application for the demolition of the former ACI buildings by the end of 2018.

Depending upon how quickly the planning process takes, and how soon contractors can be secured, the buildings could be demolished by the “latter end” of 2019.

The council has also made an initial submission to Sport England to secure funding for the new swimming pool and leisure centre.

To speed this along, council officers will carry out a “needs assessment evaluation”, which will look at the present and future leisure needs of Chard and the wider district.

Council chief executive Alex Parmley added in a separate statement that the aim was for the regeneration of Chard to be “operational by 2020” – adding, however, that “many of the factors are beyond our control”.

Councillor Ric Pallister said a lack of progress on the ground in the short-term should not be taken as a sign that no work was being done, and asked for regular updates to come back to the committee.

He said: “The view in Chard was ‘we’ll believe it when we’ll see it’, and you can’t blame them for that.

“There is a huge amount of work that will be going on in parallel to the demolition – it’s not one thing following another.

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“We would have loved to have put the hoardings up and bulldozed on day one, but we can’t do that. We’ve got to be realistic about the time-scale.”

Mr Pallister also defended the make-up of the Chard Regeneration Board – which is directing the scheme – after Councillor Amanda Broom (a Chard ward member) complained that she was not part of it.

He said: “There was no ever any intention of excluding anyone. The smaller you make it, the tighter you make it, the quicker you can make decisions and move on.”

Councillor Dave Bulmer added: “We need to be positive, we need to be proactive, and we need to get this project off the ground.”

The initial round of public consultation on the regeneration plans ends on September 30. To have your say on the proposals, visit www.southsomerset.gov.uk/business/chard-regeneration, email chard.refresh@southsomerset.gov.uk or fill in a form at Chard Library.

Further public consultation will be carried out after this date as the regeneration scheme is developed further.