It has been a busy few months within the High Street Heritage Action Zone (‘HSHAZ’) programme in Midsomer Norton, with lots of progress made. The biggest things for the project team have been applications to draw down funding, planning and programming works for The Island and Town Hall and kick-starting the ‘Cultural Programme’ events and activities as we approach Christmas.
Love Our High Streets Fund
The first update relates to the work carried out for the West of England Combined Authority to draw down funding allocated to The Island from their Love Our High Streets fund. This funding was first announced in December 2018 but the project team have been working hard to pull together the ‘Full Business Case’ to show exactly how this money will be spent on the new Market Square and how the project will benefit the High Street, local people and businesses.
We are pleased to say that research shows the new Market Square will help to generate £2.7m in additional expenditure for existing town centre businesses and market traders in the years after it is completed and also help to support new jobs, volunteering opportunities and apprenticeships within Midsomer Norton. The Full Business Case is due to be submitted to WECA in November with ‘sign-off’ anticipated in the new year.
New Market Square at the Island
The Market Square project is also progressing and the engineers and design consultants have been advising the project team on the technical aspects of the proposals and how the Market Square should be constructed. The proposals are now at ‘Stage 4’ and will be progressed towards construction and the appointment of contractors in the coming months.
One of the ‘unknowns’ is the condition of the underground river culvert, so the project team are now appointing specialists to survey, assess and test this Victorian structure to check that it structurally sound and able to withstand disturbance. You may see construction professionals working at The Island at some point soon, or even specialists crawling into the river tunnels under Silver Street – rather them than us!
Market Hall Reinstatement Project
The project team are working closely with the Town Council, Town Trust and Transformation Implementation Committee on the Town Hall Project. We are delighted to say that the Town Hall has now been transferred from B&NES Council to the Town Council and now, officially, belongs to the people of Midsomer Norton.
We now also have more clarity on the costs and phasing of the Market Hall reinstatement works and how the Phase 2 (the side extension and upper floors) will come forward – this will involve applications for grant funding and other fundraising activities. Currently we are in the process of tendering for an architect, project manager and quantity surveyor to help us with the ‘Stage 4’ works, which will allow us to progress to construction and the appointment of contractors next year.
Cultural Programme
In other news, the project team and Midsomer Norton Community Trust are delighted to announce that, after a successful recruitment process, we have appointed an Engagement Coordinator to run the Cultural Programme community events and activities, including setting up the new market programme. Dr Beth Whalley will be joining us in October and has lots of experience in managing cultural projects, community engagement and marketing/publicity.
Beth will be working closely with community groups, the Trust Manager, Alex Davis, and the High Street Project Manager, Edward Heritage, to bring forward the various events and activities planned on the High Street. If you see her in the town centre or at the Town Hall, please do say hello.
For more information about the HSHAZ project, or to discuss anything mentioned above, feel free to contact the High Street Project Manager via email or post (details below).
Email: [email protected]
Edward Heritage, High Street Project Manager, c/o Midsomer Norton Town Council, The Island, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2HQ.
