A HERITAGE group in Bridgwater is calling for plans to demolish a historic mill at the docks to be rejected.

A planning application has been submitted proposing to knock down the Bowerings Mill at Bridgwater Docks, potentially to make way for housing.

However some members of Bridgwater Town Council have joined with the Bridgwater & District Civic Society in calling for the plans to be rejected.

At a meeting of the Bridgwater Town Council Planning Panel in 2019 members voted unanimously to request the listing of the Victorian era Bowerings seed mill on the docks with its harlequin chimney, the last industrial chimney in Bridgwater.

At the time Cllr Brian Smedley, leader of the Town Council, said: “Following public concerns about the possible demolition of the chimney and a call by the Civic Society for the Town Council to quickly intervene to safeguard this key bit of our heritage, we brought the partners around the table to start the process.

"While the setting is within a conservation area, the building itself is not listed -which includes the chimney, although many thought it had been.

"The site will now be immediately deemed a ‘Non-Designated Heritage Asset’ while the process of listing starts.

"This should ensure that any potential developers work with what is there rather than demolish and the eventual listing means the building will be protected by law.”

Bridgwater & District Civic Society has already submitted an objection to the demolition, stating: "This structure is a key heritage asset and a valuable part of the historic setting.

"While we do not object in principle to the redevelopment of this site, we strongly urge the retention of the southern façade and the brick chimney especially – an excellent example in good condition, and the last such structure left in Bridgwater as a reminder of the town’s lost industrial heritage.”

Cllr Mick Lerry, ward councillor, is also opposing the plan.

"The Harlequin Chimney is a landmark historic feature placed within the Bridgwater Vision and Celebration Mile, and must be protected from demolition," he said.