Big changes will be made in the coming months to Yeovil's taxi ranks as part of the wider regeneration of the town centre. Somerset Council has been making numerous changes to the town centre under its Yeovil Refresh programme, intended to make it more accessible and inviting for visitors and businesses.
Central government grants have been used to fund a range of projects within this programme - including the delivery of public realm improvements such as the town's new amphitheatre, the completion of 'missing links' within Yeovil's cycle network, and the ongoing demolition of the vacant Glovers Walk shopping centre. The council's executive committee has now confirmed sweeping changes to Yeovil's taxi and Hackney carriage ranks, following consultation by its licensing team over the last 12 months.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, portfolio holder for communities, culture, equalities and diversity, explained the rationale behind the changes when the executive convened in Taunton on Monday morning (April 7). She said: "As part of the Yeovil Refresh, we need to look at the taxi and Hackney carriage rank positions within the town centre, to make sure that we have the right model for those who need them both in the daytime and the night-time.
"This has been through our licensing team, we held a statutory consultation and we've been in contact with both Yeovil Town Council and the local division members." Under the agreed changes, the existing rank on Silver Street (near St. John the Baptist Church) will be removed, with a new rank being created a short walk away on Princes Street.
The exiting two-car rank on Stars Lane will also be removed, with additional night-time-only spaces being created within the Stars Lane car park. The taxi rank on Lower Middle Street, near the junction with Central Road and South Western Terrace, will also be removed and replaced with a loading bay.
The existing ranks on Earle Street, Hendford, Old Station Road and South Street will also be retained - though the layout of the Old Station Road rank will be changed, and both the Hendford and South Street ranks will be monitored closely to see whether further changes are needed in the future.
Councillor Faye Purbrick (whose Yeovil South division includes most of the affected sites) said: "I absolutely support everything, apart from the move of the rank from Silver Street to Princes Street - I've been fighting this for seven or eight years.
"We have some amazing independent and national shops within the town that people want to be able to access. By removing the rank in Silver Street, that will not stop people who book a taxi from their home from being dropped off in that area of the town.
"It will not stop those who can call for a taxi from having it collect them in Silver Street - but it will mean that if somebody doesn't have access to a mobile phone and they are in town, they will need to be have pre-emptively figured out what time they were leaving to be able to have a car pick them up in the centre of town.
"I don't know how many of you have tried accessing Yeovil in a wheelchair, or on crutches, or with limited mobility. Sadly, I've had cause to do so many times within my life, and it not an easy thing to do.
"The difference between being able to get picked up near the Post Office on Middle Street, or just around the corner from Silver Street and having to get yourself to Princes Street is a long way if you have limited mobility. We've lost 'pop-in' spaces within the town - we've lost those on Westminster Street due to the Yeovil Refresh and some of the disabled bays within the centre of town, but I think until now the balance has been okay.
"By losing an additional six places on Princes Street, the pet shop there will be at risk - people who cannot park there will go to Tesco, or Morrisons, or Pets at Home. There are a number of amazing independent shops in that street which will miss out from the loss of those spaces."
Councillor Tony Lock (Yeovil East) took a different view, stating: "I can remember years ago when all these taxi ranks used to be outside Marks and Spencer in Middle Street - they were moved around the corner onto Silver Street and there was uproar from disabled residents due to the gradient. You do not do changes in the town centre without trying to improve the situation for all users.
"Many additional disabled parking bays have been provided in the car parks within the town. These changes have been thoroughly considered by our licensing committee, and I fully support them."
Councillor David Woan (Yeovil Central) added: "We had limited arguments when we looked at the changes to the blue badge bays outside Marks and Spencer as part of the Yeovil Refresh project some while ago. There is an argument that the relocation of the taxi rank into Princes Street will distribute footfall into an area of the town where it is sometimes lacking.
"The Borough benefits from having bus stops used by several services, and that in itself is a factor which brings footfall into that area of town.
I have listened to some of the businesses in Princes Street, and there is always concern that they miss out on what goes on in the town centre - and I do believe that the relocation of this taxi rank to Princes Street will, as a spin-off, bring much-needed footfall to that area of town."
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