New plans to bring the Firepool site in Taunton back into use have cleared their first hurdle - despite concerns about their green credentials and the possibility of a new hotel.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has unveiled its outline proposals for the redevelopment of the site on the River Tone, which has remained vacant since 2008.

The council has divided the site into six new blocks with different uses, with the site being gradually redeveloped as developers and commercial operators come on board.

The authority also intends to spend £275,000 on business cases for the commercial parts of the site - including a multi-purpose entertainment venue at the centre.

Members of the council's scrutiny committee were briefed on the new plans at their meeting in Williton on Wednesday evening (June 12).

The site will be divided into six blocks, each being earmarked for a different kind of development or use.

Masterplan for the Firepool site in Taunton

Block 1 , at the south-eastern corner of the site, has "strong interest from residential developers". The council envisions new blocks of at least 20 apartments, providing good views of the river or Somerset County Cricket Club.

Block 2 , at the eastern end, has also been allocated for residential use - but for "contemporary modular terraced town houses" with a number of apartments.

Block 3 , at the northern end of the central boulevard, could include office use and will be the nearest block to the new access route from Trenchard Way. The existing Great Western Goods office could be refurbished for food or beverage outlets, and the boulevard could be lined with apartments and small food and drink outlets.

Block 4 , east of the main boulevard, will have housing on its northern and eastern edges (blending into Block 2), with the remainder of the site being taken up by a multi-use performance venue. If this proves non-viable (once a business case has been market tested and reviewed), the remainder of the site will consist of apartments with "active ground flood space", as per Block 3.

Block 5 , to the west of the boulevard, has "good interest from occupiers". The western edge will be home to a commercial hotel with up to 100 rooms, while the eastern edge will have a five-screen cinema.

Block 6 - the smallest block - will be home to a new innovation centre, and may also include a new terrace of houses if 9 Canal Road is retained.

A total of £275,000 from the new homes bonus (which is given to councils by the government as a reward for building new houses) will be used to fund the business cases needed for the site.

James Barrah, the council's head of commercial investment, said his design team would flesh out these proposals over the summer, as well as "commissioning expert studies into a performance venue" and market testing for the hotel, retail and residential elements.

After October, the detailed business cases for Blocks 1, 2 and 5 (along with the performance venue) will be reviewed, along with the delivery approach for the hotel.

The Firepool site seen from Canal Road in Taunton

Different parts of the site could "cross-subsidise" each other - for instance, money earned from the delivery of new houses could go towards putting in infrastructure for the new venue or retail offerings.

Planning applications for the different sections could be submitted by the end of the year, with a view to construction on any given area beginning by the middle of 2020.

Councillor Habib Farbahi, the portfolio holder for economic development, said: "We can make Firepool a symbol of our success.

"We will work with the whole community to ensure that what is built here is fit for the future."

The Conservative-run Taunton Deane Borough Council intended to borrow up to £16M to build a new hotel at the south-east corner of the Firepool site - a policy which was widely opposed by residents and opposition councillors.

While a hotel is still included in the plans, but Mr Farbahi stressed taxpayers would not pay for its construction, stating: "That is not the job of the council.

Councillor John Hunt said he was "very excited" about the plans, and expressed confidence that a new hotel could be built without any public subsidy.

He said: "If developed properly, a hotelier would come to us and say: 'Give us a site and we'll build it.'

"I do feel this multi-purpose venue could be a massive generator of income and business, and really put us on the map."

Other councillors, however, remained sceptical about either the viability of the new plans or how they would fit in with the garden town vision.

Councillor John Hassall said: "I've just been to Rotterdam and seen the Q building. I think that would make an ideal start for a conference centre.

"I would like to see a hotel/ conference complex, while you seem to be thinking of two separate entities."

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Councillor Libby Lisgo - vice-chair of the scrutiny committee - said she was disappointed by the lack of green elements to the site.

She said: "I think if I were here from Extinction Rebellion, I'd be very disappointed by the discussion so far. I'm not getting a sense at the moment about what our commitment to doing something different is."

Representatives from Extinction Rebellion have called for the site to be "re-wilded", with an "environmental education centre", woodland space and orchards being provided in the longer term.

Councillor Ian Aldridge asked for a written report on how much CO2 would be produced in the construction process for regenerating the site.

He added: "I'm interested to know how much capital will go in and how much will come back to the council. It's a bit of a fait accompli.

"In the years ahead we are going to see major changes in what people do and how we move around."

The proposals will be discussed in further detail by the council's executive committee on Tuesday evening (June 18) and then at a special full council meeting the day after.

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