Technical studies and supporting documents
Technical studies and supporting documents
Urban Design Framework and Urban Extension Study
These were commissioned by Taunton Deane Borough Council, Somerset County Council and the Regional Development Agency. Work commenced during March 2003, following the appointment of Terence O Rourke and Partners, as lead consultants. The Taunton Transport Strategy Review (TTSR) was progressed alongside the UDF and the UES. The TTSR was undertaken by Atkins, working with the County Council.
All three studies were commissioned in response to:
- Taunton's status as a Principal Urban Area (RPG 10 - September 2001)
- The Taunton Vision exercise (2001 - 02) which sought to consider opportunities for Taunton and to try and identify priorities to the year 2025 and beyond. More details on Taunton Vision can be found at Vision For Taunton - Our Place Our Future
- Final Urban Design Framework (UDF) and Urban Extension Study (UES) reports were submitted during November 2004. The UDF and UES are available to download. However, these are very large documents and have therefore been broken down into smaller parts to speed up viewing. Both studies are also available to purchase as a cd rom from our publications list page.
The UDF and UES will be used as the foundation to develop a Taunton Town Centre Area Action Plan and an Urban Extension Area Action Plan.
Taunton Transport Strategy Review (TTSR)
A Review of the Taunton Transport Strategy (2001), as an integral element of the UDF and the UES. The content of the TTSR was used to develop the Somerset Local Transport Plan for 2006-2011 (external link).
Taunton Sub Area Study
The Taunton Area Study (external link) is available on Somerset County Council's website.
Monkton Heathfield - Development Guide
The adopted Taunton Deane Local Plan proposes a major development site at Monkton Heathfield, covering approximately 70 hectares of land. This 'urban extension' to the north-east of Taunton includes housing, employment, community facilities (including open space, a new primary school, retail and leisure uses) the provision of a relief road and other associated works.
The Local Plan Inspector reported in September 2003, recommending in favour of the major development site. Following an initial consultation exercise in March 2003, the Council drafted a Development Guide in consultation with the local community and other interested parties including the Development Consortium. Further consultation was undertaken in June 2004 and the final version of the Development Guide was adopted by the Council's Executive in September 2004. The document is now regarded as supplementary planning guidance and will be used in assessing compliance of any submitted scheme with the adopted policies and objectives of the Local Plan.
Taunton Deane Urban Housing Potential Study
This is a review of the previous Urban Housing Capacity Study undertaken during 2001. The UHPS was completed in September 2005 by Baker Associates. It will form a key input to the Council's Local Development Framework, which is in course of production.
The Study provides an estimate of the number of dwellings that can potentially be built in Taunton Deane on previously-developed ('brownfield') sites or on other land that already has planning permission. It covers the period from a base date of 1 April 2005 up until 2026, in 5-year time bands (2005 - 2011, 2011 - 2016, 2016 - 2021, and 2021 - 2026).
Taunton Deane Retail Capacity Study
In 2004/05 Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners were commissioned by the Borough Council to undertake a Retail Capacity Study to update the previous one undertaken in 1999 by CB Hillier Parker.
The Study calculated the capacity for additional convenience and comparison floorspace within Taunton and Wellington town centres and large format/retail warehouse space within Taunton by 2011 and 2016.
The information will be used to inform the Local Development Framework process and in particular, the preparation of the 'Core Strategy' and 'Taunton Town Centre Area Action Plan'.
The Final Report Retail Study was published in June 2005.
Taunton Town Centre Vitality and Viability Study
In autumn 2005 the Borough Council commissioned Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners to undertake a Vitality and Viability study for Taunton Town Centre. The final report is now available from the Forward Plan Unit at a cost of £50 plus post and packing. Government policy recommends regular 'health checks' to understand how a town centre is performing over time in relation to such issues as the range of shops, rental levels, vacancy rates, pedestrian flows and visitor perceptions. It compares results from 2005 with earlier studies in 1997 and 2001 as well as against other towns in the UK. The Vitality and Viability Study complements the work undertaken on the recent Retail Capacity Study. Together, these documents will feed into the preparation of relevant Development Plan Documents; in particular the Core Strategy and Town Centre Area Action Plan.
Taunton Access and Mobility Audit
The Borough and County Councils commissioned the Taunton Access and Mobility Audit during late 2005.
The aim of the audit was to undertake a study of conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and the disabled in central Taunton. The audit involved a series of techniques, including highway surveys (day time and evening), pedestrian flow counts, visitor and shopper questionnaires, shop front surveys and a drop-in session. The audit was also informed by two stakeholder events, involving disability and cycling groups.
This was a partnership project that was managed by Foxley Tagg Ltd (planning and transport consultants). The actual audit was undertaken by students from the University West of England, with the assistance of Sustrans and Shopmobility.
The final report is now available. The report contains a number of recommendations relating to (among others):
- Pedestrian crossings - need for more "pedestrian friendly" crossings
- Signage - need for a thorough review of all pedestrian and cycling signage within the town centre, and on some cycle routes leading to the town centre
- Highways maintenance - the audit will enable SCC to prioritise highway maintenance works within the town centre
- Cycle facilities - need for more cycle parking and need to tackle missing sections on the cycleway network
- Footpaths - need for an enhancement scheme on East Street and better connections to SCAT
- Street lighting - separate lighting review recommended
- A boards on footpaths - need to develop a strategy to tackle pavement obstructions
- Shop fronts - disabled access in the town centre is generally good, except along East Reach
- Street furniture - need to develop a consistent design
The task is to now consider the detail of the various recommendations, and establish areas where progress can be made either through Local Transport Plan funding, developer contributions or other funding sources. The Borough and County Councils, along with the Taunton Town Centre Manager, are meeting regularly in order to identify priorities and to establish ways of securing improvements. The Taunton Town Centre Area Action Plan, due for publication in October 2007, contains a number of proposals that are directly related to the results of this audit.
A copy of the audit is available to view at Deane House (planning reception). Alternatively, a copy of the report can be made available on cd, at a cost of £25.
Contact
Forward Plan Team
Tel: 01823 356528
Email: talking-tomorrows@tauntondeane.gov.uk
 The documents on this website can be downloaded and are published using the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format.
To view or print these documents, Adobe's Acrobat PDF reader is required which can be downloaded from the Adobe Systems' website (external link).
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