“It’s time for regeneration in Midsomer Norton,” was the clear message given to B&NES leaders visiting the town to meet with members of the Midsomer Norton Economic Development Partnership.

The visit was in response to increasingly difficult trading conditions, made worse by recent road closures, which underline, the partnership says, the need to tackle fundamental issues such as a lack of purpose-built larger retail units for national brands, an urgent need to upgrade food retail stores and address the general run down appearance of the retail core, from Martins to the Town Hall.

The Partnership consists of the Town Council, B&NES Councillors and the Chamber of Commerce.

The response from the new Conservative B&NES administration has, so far, been positive. Tim Warren, Leader of B&NES Council said after the meeting: “Whilst the Town Council and local volunteers are doing a great job to regenerate Midsomer Norton, I believe that Bath and North East Somerset Council can provide more support for a regeneration plan for the town.

“Having heard the very strong case put forward by the Partnership, we’ve taken away the feedback and officers will be working on a response, looking at an achievable regeneration plan in the coming weeks.”

All this comes against the backdrop of Casswells, one of the oldest businesses in the Town, closing its doors last Monday, (see Letters, Pages 2, 18 and 19). Costa Coffee have also spoken to The Journal this week, confirming that the new store opposite Sainsbury’s is due to open in early October this year. A decision on the Wetherspoon planning application at the old Palladium Cinema in the High Street has been delayed.

A spokesperson for Costa said: “Our brand new store in Midsomer Norton will bring six to eight new jobs to the local area. As with all of our new store openings, we will do all that we can to integrate ourselves within the local community, getting involved with events, providing the store as a meeting place and helping with fundraising.”

With many upset about the unexpected closure of Casswells and national chains such as Costa and Wickes due to open in the area shortly, Midsomer Norton is now questioning what it will need to do to keep its town centre thriving and keep the independent shops open. Plans for another supermarket at the site of South Road car park have gone very quiet, as such is the economic climate, retailers are not keen to invest in such large stores and would prefer to open smaller convenience stores instead.

Paul Myers, Mayor of Midsomer Norton and Chair of the local Partnership, said: “The Economic Development Partnership has done a huge amount of ground work identifying what needs to be done, whilst the last B&NES administration focused on Keynsham and Radstock.

“As a result, valuable time has been lost in addressing the needs of Midsomer Norton, which has a key retail and commercial role in the Somer Valley. It’s now time for action.”

In a local survey, the Neighbourhood Planning Group noted strong contradictions between residents wanting to retain independent retailers on the one hand, but not always coming in to the town centre to shop. For example, a DIY store was the most called for addition to the town’s retail offering, despite Casswells still trading in the High Street at that time.

Over 700 respondents wanted to see more clothing outlets in the town and over 600 wanted to see major chain stores arriving. Other popular options included a weekly market within Midsomer Norton Town Centre and independent food retailers. As with Casswells, Midsomer Norton’s local traders will need the continued support of residents in the area if they are to survive alongside out-of-town and internet shopping sites.

Recently, the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Chamber of Commerce has been looking at how it can better serve local businesses, with a change of name that reflects its aspiration to cover the whole of the Somer Valley. It plans to act as a strong voice for business and joint working, whilst at the same time providing focus with local hubs, not just in Midsomer Norton, but in Paulton, Radstock, Peasedown St John and Westfield. Full details of this new drive look set to be announced in September.