Western Daily Press (Saturday)
New-look Radco store planned with homes
AN enormous Radstock supermarket could be demolished and rebuilt alongside 55 homes and offices to help regenerate the town centre.
The landmark Radco store is described as “well past its best before date” and the Radstock Co-operative Society says the redevelopment will safeguard its future.
If approved, the development will comprise two buildings, each three storeys high. The complex will include 28 flats and 722 square metres of office space for the society’s new HQ.
The plans also include an outline application for 27 terraced houses that would be built in a second phase.
More than half of the retail floorspace will be lost, as will 106 of the 245 parking spaces.
A temporary store will be constructed while the work is carried out.
Radstock Co-operative Society chief executive Don Morris said in the application: “For 150 years, Radstock Cooperative Society has served its members and customers, from humble beginnings to the vibrant and expanding business it has become today.
“Radco is the flagship of the estate but the building is well past its best before date.
“Our customers and members deserve a better offering and we believe that we can improve Radstock town by developing a purposebuilt,smart, modern shopping facility that we can all feel proud of.
“By investing in a new building we will be protecting employment vital to the economy of the town. There will be no job losses.”
The store was built in 1959 and extended significantly in the 1980s.
It now includes a variety of non-food departments including electrical, clothing, homeware, a post office and a cafe.
The plans say its monolithic character is at odds with the historic developments nearby, it is under-used and has seen a decline in recent years due to a shift in retail habits.
The size and design of the 27 terraced houses will be determined in a subsequent planning application but the plans say they are expected to have three or four bedrooms.
The viability of affordable housing will be discussed with Bath and North East Somerset Council, which will decide the application.