Post Office and future of high street considered by Bridgwater Town Development Forum

There were a number of hot topics in the town discussed, including what is happening to the Post Office, and a discussion of how the town centre may need to adapt in years ahead.

First giving an update were Post Office representatives Stuart Taylor, external relations manager and Matt Walls, area network manager.

Mr Taylor confirmed that after a few months of uncertainty, the Post Office in Eastover was currently being run by a temporary postmaster who was experienced and ran other branches too.

Mr Wallis confirmed that a potential permanent operator had expressed interest in running the Post Office franchise in Bridgwater.

Mr Wallis stressed that there would be a need for the branch to have some form of retail as part of the applicant's business plan.

Nick Gibson of Bridgwater Forward said the Post Office building needed an overhaul, describing it as looking 'tatty' and 'dreary'.

However district councillor Wes Hinckes praised the current Post Office staff were friendly and efficient.

"We expect if the Post Office is taken over the opening hours would be 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Next up giving a presentation was Sedgemoor District Council's senior economic development officer Carla Modley.

First she outlined a number of the issues affecting high streets nationally.

She said the way people purchase goods has fundamentally changed with the rise of online shopping, and this had led to a decline in footfall.

She said while this was meaning a number of chain stores were closing nationally, because Bridgwater had a good number of strong independent businesses it had not been affected as badly as some towns.

"In the future town centres will need to cater for a wider range of uses and activities, and research suggests retailers should concentrate on providing experiences and convenience," Mrs Modley said.

She also said Sedgemoor District Council was in the process of putting together a bid for part of a £675m government Future High Streets fund, which if successful, would go toward completing the Celebration Mile project.

However Mrs Modley did say competition for the limited funds would be high.

Mrs Modley also said SDC were working on a project to rebrand the Sedgemoor area in terms of marketing, however Cllr Hinckes questioned whether it would be sensible to concentrate on individual marketing for Bridgwater, Burnham and Highbridge and Cheddar as although they are all in Sedgemoor, they are all quite distinct.

Mike Slade of the Inland Waterways Association asked for an update on what was happening with the Bridgwater Library and Blake Gardens improvements bid.

He was informed that while the bid had been unsuccessful with West Somerset Council, the plan was to submit it to a different fund being run by the Somerset Community Foundation.

Cllr Smedley thanked the speakers and closed the meeting, saying he hoped the incoming council would continue the Town Development Forum's work.