BRIDGWATER people are being given the unique chance to have their say on the future of the Northgate land in the heart of town, as the question we all seem to be asking is – “What now for the old Sedgemoor Splash site?”

The Town Council is inviting people to attend a public meeting to next week where any passionate person will be able to air their views and opinions following Tesco’s decision to withdraw from building a supermarket there.

After four years of uncertainty, the deal to build a Tesco Extra store on the site collapsed and resulted in both Sedgemoor District and Somerset County Council’s receiving a pay-off of an undisclosed figure.

Since the plans were shelved there has been massive public interest shown when it comes to ideas moving forward.

The meeting will be held at Trinity Hall in St Saviours Avenue on Tuesday, March 24 commencing at 7.30pm.

Bridgwater Town Council clerk Alan Hurford said: “The Bridgwater Town Council decided to convene a public meeting to enable residents, the public at large and local organisations to put forward views and opinions on the future use of the land at Northgate.

“This followed a commitment at the Town Council meeting in January when it became clear the Tesco plans would not go ahead and members resolved to take a lead in suggesting alternative uses for the site.

“This is now seen as an integral part of the town centre in planning terms.

“Both Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council as owners of the land, and Sedgemoor as the planning authority will be invited.”

Westover ward councillor Brian Smedley, whose ward covers the site, said: “We’re back to square one with this project but the difference is that this time around we want to ensure that the people who matter are involved from day one.

“So if Sedgemoor and Somerset have plans for this site they need to consult with us first.”

The neighbouring Wyndham ward councillor Gill Slocombe welcomed the open discussion of the site’s future but stressed the need for an economically viable plan.

She told the Mercury: “I think this meeting is a very good idea and it is really good that we can all work together on this.

“But I would say that what we don’t need is a white elephant – it needs to economically suitable and this is paramount moving forward.”

The meeting will be chaired by Mayor of Bridgwater Steve Austen and will include a short presentation about the history of the Tesco project on Northgate, the key decisions taken along the way and the campaigns fought by local people to save their green space and their town centre.

The meeting will then dedicate a large amount of time to allow to contributions from the floor.

Earlier this year we asked Bridgwater people what they wanted to see built on the Northgate site. Here are the results of our online poll: