The Radco store - what next?

News that the Radco store will be closed at the end of August has been widely welcomed by the local councillors who supported its redevelopment.

The site has long been considered not-for-purpose and when Nub News last visited it was clear (see photos) that the structure of the building was not good. Councillors were told that it was too big, too old and under used.

Back in April 2018 B&NEs gave its assessment of what needed to be done.

In a planning document it talked about the site, which is owned by the Radstock Co-operative Society, as being too big, at approximately three and a half hectares in size.

In the report it stated: "The existing store occupies the eastern part of the site, within the primary retail policy area of Radstock town centre. The existing servicing area and an extensive under-utilised customer car park area extends to the rear of the store to the west. "

Plans from the local Co-op are for what they called: " A comprehensive mixed-use redevelopment of the site to comprise the demolition of the current building and its replacement with a high quality modern store alongside ancillary office, retail, café and residential development. "

Those plans, which included 28 apartments and a further 26 houses in the existing car park area (for which detailed planning still needs to be passed), were agreed in October 2019.

At the time Cllr Eleanor Jackson said: "....water pouring through the roof, buckets everywhere and sometimes, I fear, naked wires. The store is well past its sell-by date. You should have no qualms about ordering its demolition. It's an eyesore."

The report from B&NES added: " The commitment from the Radstock Co-operative Society is that there will be no net job losses within the store itself, as a result of the development proposal. The redevelopment of the site will vastly increase the quantity, quality and variety of employment opportunities available.

The regeneration proposal would provide demonstrable and ongoing economic benefits to the local community. The introduction of ancillary office, retail, and residential uses are essential to enable the delivery of a high quality design with socio-economic scheme benefits for Radstock. The proposal also promotes making the best-use of redundant brownfield land in a sustainable location, co-locating a sustainable mix of uses, thereby helping to reduce commuting. It is also sequentially desirable to building on greenfield land on the edge of the towns and villages of the Somer Valley."

The full policy document which also outlines how many parking spaces will be allocated to each home, here: