The Government has named Midsomer Norton amongst only 59 towns across England to benefit from a £95 million fund to revive historic shopping areas. The successful bid, led by B&NES Council and developed by the Midsomer Norton Regeneration Partnership, defines a programme for a ‘Heritage Action Zone’ to address the particular challenges the High Street is currently facing.

There is a clue with the inclusion of the word ‘Heritage’ in the title on what this funding is for. The funds can be used to visually and physically improve the fabric of Midsomer Norton’s historic High Street, making it a more attractive environment to live in and visit, encouraging an improved retail, leisure and cultural offer.

B&NES Council, however, are not releasing the final amount of the funding win until they have met with Heritage England. It is expected to be in the region of the WECA £1 million Love Our High Street fund, announced in December last year, meaning Midsomer Norton could be seeing up to £2 million being invested.

Key to Midsomer Norton’s case was the fact that, along with Keynsham (who have also won funding), it is only one of two Conservation Areas designated ‘At Risk’ in B&NES and the bid was in line with the Management Plan detailed in the recently updated Midsomer Norton and Welton Conservation Area Appraisal.

The successful Heritage Action Zone programme submitted focuses on three Projects.

Project 1: Re-establishing the original medieval town market place in The Island – as a modern location for regular markets and cultural events and activities, along with achieving the reinstatement of the town’s 19th Century

Market Hall on the ground floor of the Town Hall.

The fact that the Market Hall project was ‘oven ready’ with Listed Building Consent undoubtedly helped make the bid stand out. Combined, the Market Hall and Island will give the town a year-round, non-weather dependent market base. At the same time, there will be funding to improve the historic shop frontages in and opposite the Island to lift the street scene.

So, why the market focus? The view is looking at what Frome and other towns across the country have achieved with markets – animating their town centres and attracting back footfall. The 2017 Midsomer Norton Shopper Survey, which was run in The Journal found that only 20% of local residents visited the High Street due to the limited range of goods and services on offer.

According to local knowledge, this is the self-same strategy the local Norman Knight followed back in 1242 when he applied to Henry III for a Royal Charter for a Thursday Market, which first put the town on the map. The aim is not to permanently pedestrianise The Island, but to make it possible to close more easily to traffic on Market Day(s), allowing stalls to be easily wheeled out from the Town Hall and for traders to have easy access to electricity and water.

Project 2: Improving the Pedestrian Walkway from South Road Car Park to the High Street – most visitors to the town currently pass through this area and are confronted with an uneven surface, unsightly bins and run-down buildings – it will now be possible to tackle this whole area.

Project 3: High Street shop front and signage improvement scheme – based on an initial Shop Front Condition Survey, the aim is to look at how funding can be best used to lift the town’s historic shop fronts to create a more inviting environment for people coming to the town. One element is to consider a four-year small grant Heritage Action Zone scheme where local landlords could apply for funds.

Councillor Paul Crossley, Bath & North East Somerset Council Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “This really is excellent news for Midsomer Norton and Keynsham. The funding will enable us to care for the historic environment in these two special towns which each have their own strong sense of identity.

“Thanks need to go to the hard work of all those involved for putting these bids together. This includes our partners, the Town Councils, as well as support from the West of England Combined Authority through its Love Our High Street scheme in Midsomer Norton and its £1.5m Public Realm improvement in Keynsham.”

Cllr Michael Evans, Mayor, adds: “The success of this bid is brilliant news. The Town Council will continue to work with Historic England and B&NES to ensure that the money is spent to good effect.”

Cllr Paul Myers, B&NES Midsomer Norton Redfield said: “This is fantastic news! We’ve now got a decent pot of hard cash and a focused plan.

“When the first Markets take place we need the support of local residents to help reclaim their High Street by coming down to shop, so that together, as a community, we can truly get Midsomer Norton back on the map.”