New £5m footway connecting station to town opens
BBCA new £5m footway linking a major railway hub and the nearby town centre has opened, four years after being given planning permission.
The Firepool Boulevard now connects Taunton Railway Station directly to the county cricket ground, and onwards to the centre of town, through a yet-to-be developed plot of land.
Previously, it would have taken around 25 minutes to walk to the town centre along main roads from the station, with journeys now taking around six or seven minutes.
The Somerset Council lead member for economic development, Mike Rigby, said the footway would have a "decent impact" on people in the town.
The footway took around seven months to construct and cost around £5m, paid for by the government's future high street fund.
The walkway had been planned to open in March, but faced a number of delays.
Rigby said: "It's taken longer than we'd have hoped.
"We had some unexpected issues like finding some asbestos on the site that needed a solution, but here we are, it's done... I'm happy with how it looks."
He also said the work was part of a wider scheme "to deliver that Firepool master plan" and make the area more attractive to developers.
Marnie Harnden and her friend Nancy Harrison were among the first people to use the new walkway, and said it was a "lovely" addition to the town.
Harnden said: "I'm thrilled it's finally open.
"It's going to save me about 10 minutes of walking time to get to the station... we're very happy," she added.
Harrison, who was visiting Taunton from London, said: "I spotted that there was somebody walking and it was like 'yes, yes I think it's finally open!'"
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