Cash-strapped council halts sale of car park

Dan Ayers

BBC News, Somerset

BBC Image of a car park barrier inside the car park. It's on the upper level.BBC

Somerset Council said the car park in Taunton will remain open

Plans to sell a 270-space high street car park are to be reversed after more than 1,800 people signed a petition against its closure.

Somerset Council wanted to sell off the High Street Car Park in the centre of Taunton to help raise money with its financial emergency.

Campaigners and Taunton Town Council were concerned that it would impact shops and accessibility especially in the evenings.

Councillor Mike Rigby, from Somerset Council, said: “The message we’ve heard loud and clear is that the impacts of the sale of the High Street car park are such that we need to reconsider and that’s what we have done.”

Google Google Maps shot of the High Street Car Park entrance. There's cars in the car park with barriers as you enter.Google

People argued the car park was good for access into Taunton town centre in the evenings

He continued: “This Council has to be sustainable in these extremely tough financial times, but we also have to listen.”

The petition was started by the Creative Innovation Centre in Taunton last October.

They argued that the closure and demolition of the car park would impact social clubs, faith organisations and Taunton’s night-time economy.

Somerset Council remains in a financial emergency and the authority is selling off a number of its assets in an effort to use the revenue to run essential services.