PLANS for a taxpayer-funded hotel in Taunton town centre will still go ahead even if a new hotel is built on an out-of-town business park.

The new Nexus 25 site – located just a short distance from Junction 25 of the M5 – will begin to be developed in 2020, with the access road to the site being constructed alongside upgrades to the motorway junction.

Henry Boot Developments, the company which is bringing the site forward, confirmed on Wednesday (April 24) that the site could include a new hotel, as well as other amenities such as a school and health centre.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has confirmed that it will proceed with its plans for a new hotel on part of the Firepool site even if a new Nexus hotel is built.

Councillors voted in December 2018 to invest £16M in a hotel on the south-east corner of the Firepool site, which local reports suggest will be operated by Hilton.

Nick Bryant, the council’s head of strategy, said a new hotel on the Nexus site would not be seen as a direct competitor with the Firepool hotel.

He said: “We would consider that the likely market for a hotel at Nexus, as part of a strategic employment site adjacent to the motorway, is different to the offer within the town centre.”

When asked about the potential operators for the Nexus hotel, Mr Bryant added: “This is a matter for the developers themselves. We have not been privy to any conversations.”

The Nexus 25 site is subject to a local development order (LDO), which allows a local authority to speed up the planning process.

The LDO specifies what kind of development is permitted on a given site, and means construction of each new building or phase can begin more quickly, provided that all conditions surrounding the use of the land and access to it are met.

The Nexus 25 site is divided into six plots, with each lot being set aside for a range of different business uses.

Plot 1, at the north-western corner of the site, has been earmarked for a hotel – but on the condition that no other hotel or hostel is built on any other lot within the site.

Plot 1 could also become home to a gymnasium, restaurants, cafes, “drinking establishments”, small retail outlets and a range of offices, according to the council’s DLO policy document.

The council will consider any formal planning application for a hotel on the Nexus site through its planning committee as and when such a proposal comes forward.