Glovers Walk
The Glovers Walk site situated at the eastern end of Yeovil town centre was acquired by Somerset Council in September 2024, thanks to central government grant funding via the Future High Streets Fund (FHSF).
The 2.2-acre site will be demolished during the first half of 2025 with Yeovil Bus Station remaining operational throughout.
The Council is working in partnership with the local community and groups, including Love Yeovil and Yeovil Art Space, to establish interim or ‘meantime’ uses for the site. Recent consultation and engagement activity with businesses, residents and the wider public is informing this vital piece of work.
‘Meantime’ use refers to a timeframe of 1 to 3 years and is expected to offer a range of activities, amenities and green space which will make positive use of the site, while contributing to and supporting the evolution of the town centre.
In parallel, longer-term planning is also in progress. This would cover a timeframe of 3 to 5 years for development of the site and its surrounding area. It is anticipated that the longer-term uses will build on the short-term offering, creating a sustainable, flexible mixed-use development which provides a foundation for the economic regeneration of the area. A new transport interchange forms part of these plans, creating a positive and attractive gateway to Yeovil.
Your questions about Glovers Walk
When is the demolition expected to take place?
Behind the scenes demolition work has been underway at Glovers Walk since October 2024 and will continue through the early part of the new year. This has included removing building interiors, disconnecting utilities, removing hazardous materials like asbestos from the vacant buildings and ensuring the site is safe for workers.
Structural demolition (the buildings themselves) will start to take place from late February 2025 with demolition equipment moving to the site early in the new year. These works are expected to take approximately 5 to 6 months.
Why is the demolition taking place?
The empty Glovers Walk site has long been identified by local people and businesses as an area of significant opportunity for the revitalisation of the eastern end of Yeovil’s town centre.
Many if not most of the current structures are in poor condition, inflexible or simply unsuitable for redevelopment, as well as being economically and environmentally unsustainable. The configuration of space within the current premises is outdated and unfit for purpose.
Having been bought by Somerset Council thanks to £4.8m of Future High Streets Funding (FHSF) in 2024, the site offers a unique and exciting blank canvas for the local community to actively influence, shape and be a part of as the final phase of the regeneration of Yeovil’s town centre.
The ringfenced High Streets Funding (FHSF) must be expended by 31 March 2025, or will need to be repaid. Demolition therefore needs to happen over the coming months in order for the space to cleared and made ready for development.
What is the timeframe for the ‘meanwhile use’ and ongoing works?
Somerset Council partners, Love Yeovil and Yeovil Art Space have been commissioned to gain the views and opinions of the local community and organisations in developing the Glovers Walk site and the wider town centre, with the purpose of delivering an attractive, flexible, economically sustainable space for Yeovil, its residents, businesses and visitors to the town.
Due to the time constraints of the High Streets Funding (FHSF), there will be an unavoidable gap between the demolition and the new long-term development. During this time, we want to make sure that the site is put to good use in the meanwhile, rather than standing empty.
An initial public engagement survey was completed at the end of 2024. This focused on seeking ideas for ‘meanwhile uses’ for the site, as well as gaining views and input to inform long term plans.
Meanwhile use for the site would span a timeframe of 1 to 3 years, with an ongoing programme of engagement over the coming 12 to 18 months with residents, businesses, local groups and organisations and the wider community to help shape the long-term master planning work for the site.
Workshops, drop ins and further surveys will continue to form part of this public engagement work.
What is involved in the long-term plan for the site and what is the timeframe for this?
Work to develop the long-term plan will be a progression of the meantime use for the site. This involves the development and adoption of a wider masterplan for the town centre, which will include building viability assessments for the Glovers Walk site, developing outline designs, exploring long term uses for the site, securing a development partner, obtaining planning consents and all of the activities associated with major developments of this type.
The construction of a new long-term development would be expected to start within 3 to 5 years.
Somerset Council has no preconceptions about what the site could be used for, though some green space is likely to be involved. More detail will be shared as findings from the engagement survey and planning work become available.
What do early-stage findings say people would like to see happen at the Glovers Walk site?
Over 400 people responded to the first engagement survey launched towards the end of last year, in partnership with Love Yeovil and Yeovil Art Space. A further 30 people from diverse community groups also took part in five creative consultation sessions in November and December 2024. The responses and outputs showed huge positivity and enthusiasm for the future of Yeovil, with initial findings key to shaping a vision for Glovers Walk. Read more about these findings and how Yeovil’s community are engaging in this community led development on the Love Yeovil website.
What will the bus station look like and what will the access be?
The bus station stands and shelters will be retained through the period of the demolition to make sure the bus station can remain operational. The bus station’s existing buildings will be demolished during the second phase of the works. As part of the longer-term plan, we will be exploring how an updated transport interchange can be created, with the bus station at its core.
What facilities will be at the bus station?
Throughout the demolition process and after, appropriate facilities will continue to be available serving bus station users. This will include a passenger waiting room and the reintroduction of accessible public toilets.
What will the flattened site look like?
It will be an open space which will be grassed over with pathways to access the bus station from Middle Street. The bus station facilities will also be located on this space.
Old Cattle Market
Currently derelict, the Old Cattle Market lies at the northern boundary of the town centre. The Council will continue to work with the owners of the site to support its development. This site remains a key part of the regeneration of the town centre.
Grant funded developments
Somerset Council is working with three sites to enable the creation of more commercial and residential space within the town centre. The residential elements of these sites will be affordable and targeted at key workers supporting the local economy. The three sites are:
- 18-21 Wyndham Street comprising 48 Units of accommodation with a mix of 1 and 2 bedrooms
- 96 Middle Street: commercial uses on Ground Floor. 9 units of accommodation
- 66 Middle Street: commercial uses on Ground Floor and basement. 10 units of accommodation.
Construction or refurbishment of these premises will begin in 2025. Once completed, these developments will support the regeneration of the wider area attracting more people into the town centre.