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New pedestrian connection to Catholic Church Flexible commercial ground floor use with apartments above New play area and community focus Two-storey town houses fronting to improved route New three storey apartments Flexible commercial space with apartments above Extended retail units with new apartments above Widened street with stepped design feature Improved Hollies Gardens for town events and outdoor eating and drinking Enhanced public realm to create larger public space for Midsomer Norton Fair and other town events New retail uses addressing the core High Street area with offices above Two storey town houses fronting to improved route Improved route through from the High Street, with new development establishing a positive frontage to the school New extension for the primary school School playing fields Children’s centre Play park Midsomer Norton Primary School Methodist Church Council Offices HIGH STREET Rear service area H E A V Y TRA FFIC R O U T E HEAVY TRAFFIC ROUTE CAR PARK CAR PARK METHODIST CHURCH MALLARDS PUBLIC HOUSE TITHE BARN ALMS HOUSES EXISTING SCHOOL THE HOLLIES TOWN HALL The Hollies area provides an important mix of uses for the town centre including shops, jobs, community facilities, housing, public parking and green spaces. It is however dominated by the scale and bulk of the Sainsbury’s foodstore. The foodstore and car park generates significant traffic on to the High Street and is a barrier to pedestrian linkages between the High Street and historic buildings. Redevelopment of this area can deliver significant regeneration benefits for Midsomer Norton. Midsomer Norton The Hollies The priority is to create an enhanced retail frontage to the High Street. Redevelopment can create a series of more appropriately sized units that address the High Street. Short stay shopper car parking is retained, but long stay reduced enabling the vehicular exit onto the High Street to be removed to deliver public realm enhancements in front of the Town Hall and Island. Improved pedestrian routes help integrate the core High Street with the Island and destinations such as the Catholic Church (Tithe Barn). The new Hollies garden space will remove the unusable areas and provide an attractive green area with ‘spill out’ space for cafes and restaurants. Site analysis Development principles Poor quality gateway Pedestrian connection Poor quality building Positive building Lively frontage Active frontage Sides / backs View Important space Public realm improvement Prominent corner The illustrative masterplan below demonstrates one way of developing the potential of the Hollies area. It will deliver a mixed-use scheme of a scale and character appropriate to the town centre. Illustrative masterplan New or refurbished buildings P
