Positive feedback on £12 million Barnstaple revamp
North Devon Council is reporting positive feedback
The final projects, in a £12 million revamp of Barnstaple’s central shopping area, are complete and North Devon Council is reporting positive feedback.
Following on from the refurbishment of the historic pannier market, the amalgamation of Queen Street and Bear Street car parks, to form a 400-space Barnstaple Central car park and the creation of ‘Tom’s Walk’, linking car park and town, the once-derelict buildings on Boutport Street are transformed into commercial and creative spaces and homes and welcoming occupants.
Tables and chairs are adorning Butchers Row and Cross Street, which has been pedestrianised, between 10am and 4pm and seen public realm improvements.
The changes have come about through a £6.5 million grant from the government’s Future High Street Fund, awarded to the council back in 2021, which was match-funded by more than £4 million from the council and contributions from Homes England, the Cultural Development Fund.
After purchasing 36 and 37 Boutport Street, the council created a four-storey hub for artists and events, nine workshops, a kitchen and 10 social housing units.
Seven of the nine workshops are under offer, with one architect in occupation and four letting spaces, across the creative industries hub in number 36 are under offer, councillors heard at a recent meeting.
Function space and shared working space is also available at number 36.
Councillors said at a recent meeting it was “a tremendous project for a small council”.
Cllr Malcolm Prowe (Ind, Bratton Fleming) said he was impressed by the “incredible scale and impact and fantastic results of this project” and thanked officers and staff for their work on it.
“Very few councils would be able to handle this and keep it within reasonable budget,” he said.
He added some people were doubtful about spending extra money on the car park, but it had “made a huge difference to the visitor experience”.
Tom’s walk, named in honour of Thomas Evans, a much-loved local character, who founded the first tourist information centre and helped countless visitors discover Barnstaple, had “connected the town back together”.
“The public are incredibly positive about what has happened here, which is unusual in local government.”
Cllr Caroline Leaver (Lib Dem, Newport) said it had been a brave thing to do to take on a project of that complexity.
“The council can take pride in taking a leap of faith. People say how lovely it is to be able to walk from the car park straight through to the town.”
She said spaces had been transformed and welcomed the social housing: “This is testament to all that is positive and good about local government.”
Cllr Helen Walker (Lib Dem, Bickington) said the accommodation was high quality and well positioned and she had received a lot of positive feedback.
Cllr Ricky Knight (Green, Heanton Punchardon ) said 37 Boutport Street had been boarded up for decades following a fire and it had been “a hideous site”, now people had something nice to look at across the street following the rebuild.
Number 36 is a grade II listed building designed in a Flemish Renaissance style, which sits at the end of Butchers Row and has been refurbished.
The meeting was told there were opportunities for further public realm improvements, going down to the waterfront in the future, as part of a separate project.