There are a few things that were often mentioned in the 2016 and previous surveys that we have decided not to include in this Town Plan:
- We know that Bruton has greater parking pressure than other similar towns, and the need for more parking has been mentioned in the recent and previous surveys and plans. There is no obvious location for more parking in the town centre, and so we have not planned to create more parking, but we will take the opportunity to do so if it arises.
- There was a large majority against introducing parking charges, and no consensus about the need for residents’ parking permits. Unless there is a big change in these views we will not plan to introduce either.
- Our survey asked: ‘Are there other, specific things that you think need to be done to improve the leisure, sports and cultural facilities in Bruton?’. The most common suggestion was a swimming pool. Swimming pools are expensive: the new pool in Bridgwater cost £7M. South Somerset District Council has set a standard that people in the district should live within 15 minutes’ drive of a public pool. The pool at Wincanton Sports Centre is (just) within this range, and is designed to serve Bruton and Castle Cary as well as Wincanton. It is very unlikely that funding could be found for a separate Bruton pool.
- People also suggested that the public could make more use of the local schools’ sport and leisure facilities. These facilities are not in our control, and there are safeguarding regulations and other pressures that make it difficult for our schools to share their facilities as some might wish.
- The Town Council (and others) will continue to support the Christmas Shopping evening and the Packhorse Fair, as these proved so popular. We have not included this in the plan.
