Businesses in Midsomer Norton have risen to the challenge of keeping the town trading when B&NES Council temporarily close the left-hand side of South Road Car Park, starting from next Monday, 22nd April – losing 100 spaces. The closure, say B&NES, is the next stage of their plan to 'transform the economic vitality of Midsomer Norton Town Centre', by selling South Road car park to a supermarket chain.

Closing a section of the car park will enable an investigation of the site underground and will provide the information about its condition which is needed for a future planning application. An agent has also been appointed to work-up the marketing details for the site.

Councillor David Bellotti (Lib-Dem, Lyncombe), Cabinet Member for Community Resources, said: "We are very pleased to be taking the first steps toward releasing South Road Car Park as a supermarket. The feedback Bath and North East Somerset Council has received about this proposal has been extremely positive from the public, business community and Town Council. There is a real opportunity to connect the High Street and South Road more strongly, whilst encouraging more people into the town to do their weekly food shop. We have worked with our contractor to reduce the amount of time needed for the works from three weeks to one week."

The small car park to the left-hand side of the entrance into South Road will be closed off for 3 – 4 days.

There will be a drilling rig moved to different locations in the main car park which will remove around six spaces at a time, but the car park has to be closed during this time in the interest of public safety. It is anticipated that the work will finish on 26th April, subject to the weather. All work will take place between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. There will be some low-level noise.

The car park will be sold for the purpose of a brand new 45,000 square foot supermarket. For comparison purposes, the existing Sainsbury's at The Hollies is 17,000 square feet. As part of the planning process, the Council will require additional parking spaces above the supermarket operator's own needs.

It is hoped that, subject to planning permission being granted, the development of the new store could commence in Autumn 2014 and sometime in 2016, the store could become operational.

As soon as the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Chamber of Commerce was notified by B&NES, it swung into action and has come up with a solution by identifying 100 new parking spaces for business staff and so cancel out the effect of the temporary closure of some spaces in South Road. In this way, they will ensure that the town remains operational and customers visiting the town can still park.

"We're appealing to our loyal customers to still support the town and come in as usual, on the basis that there will still be plenty of parking. The local business community is really pulling together to meet the challenge. We have put in a huge amount of work developing what feels like a military operation – identifying new parking places, issuing permits to staff, arranging marshals with radios, leaflet drops and press coverage this week, so that everyone is aware. Ultimately, the work being done in South Road represents a further step in plans to breathe new life into Midsomer Norton town centre," said Jon Plenty, Retail Director, Midsomer Norton and Radstock Chamber of Commerce.

South Road Car Park was once the site of the town's gasometers, which towered above the streetscape.

Developers are keen to investigate what is under the car park surface as plans progress to locate a new supermarket on the site.