Yeovil town centre 'uninviting' as refresh plan overruns

The centre of a major town in Somerset has been described by business owners as "declining" and "uninviting".

Dozens of shops in Yeovil lie empty, the main Glovers Walk shopping centre has closed down, and construction works are overrunning.

A scheme called Yeovil Refresh, aimed at sprucing up the town centre, is underway after being launched in 2018.

Somerset Council has asked for patience and said the majority of the work should be done by the end of the year.

Delays in the scheme have been put down to the pandemic and a change of contractor after the original one went into liquidation.

Jo Reynolds, President of Yeovil Chamber of Commerce, said: "Has it been as quick or as smooth as we would have wanted? No. But do I believe it will still be what it should've been? Yes, I absolutely do.

"We've got major investment looking to come forward into the town."

Yeovil Refresh set out with a plan to re-design and re-develop the town centre with "a clear picture for how to develop, grow and flourish over the coming years".

But after a series of setbacks the completion date for works has now been put back.

Development of a new public amphitheatre on the Triangle will be one of the first projects.

Lance Wells, who runs a hairdressing business in the centre, said: "Everyone's fed up. You can't even walk up and down the high street for fencing, it's slowly declining as a town.

"There's nothing to go shopping for in Yeovil. There's no shops here and the ones that are, aren't the right shops."

Joanna Konieczwna, who runs Dahlia Florists, said: "It's really empty, it looks dirty, unpleasant and uninviting.

"There used to be many shops in town and you could buy what you needed, but now you can't and you have to look online instead. It would be nice if the town invited more small businesses."

Both Somerset Council and Yeovil Chamber of Commerce both insist that once the regeneration works have been completed, a brighter future lies ahead for Yeovil.

As well as the street improvements, work is being undertaken to develop a transport scheme which will be built over the next year.

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