A CINEMA off Taunton town centre could be showing its first films within three years.

The picture house alongside Priory Bridge Road is among proposals for the former Taunton livestock market site being discussed by Taunton Deane Borough Council's planners next Wednesday.

The multi-million pound development would also include a supermarket - rumoured to be Waitrose - shops, waterfront bars and restaurants, homes and shoppers' car parking.

If everything goes to plan, the site, which has been derelict since the last market was held there in January 2008, could become a hive of activity again by 2019.

On the other side of the River Tone there could be more flats and offices beside the Viridor block and potentially a hotel facing the Cooper Associates County Ground, home to Somerset cricket.

The planning application was submitted in November by the council's development partner St Modwen.

The firm's senior development manager Peter Davies said: "A brownfield site bang in the centre of town next to the river and the train station is a fantastic opportunity.

"But we've got to get a layout that ticks all the boxes in terms of design aspirations, bringing the waterfront to life, getting people from the station into town on an attractive route."

Somerset County Gazette:

Peter Davies.

Mr Davies said there has been strong interest from cinema operators and a supermarket, while talks have also been held with national and independent businesses over taking on smaller units.

He is hopeful everything will start to fall into place once the Northern Inner Distributor Road accessing the site is completed - currently predicted by Somerset County Council to be before the end of this year.

Firepool was previously earmarked for a massive office development, with hopes that a number of Government departments could relocate to the county town, but that was deemed undeliverable when the recession bit in 2008.

Under the Taunton Rethink launched in January 2014, it was agreed to go for a mixed use for the site, tying it in with a planned revamp of Taunton Station and a shops and homes development at Coal Orchard, giving a pleasant walkthrough into the current town centre.

"It won't be competing with the existing high street," said Mr Davies.

"We're trying to complement and grow with the town centre.

"We're trying to provide a modern format that secures the operators we expect to come - and to stop them going elsewhere instead.

"Realistically, we'd like to be on site through next year, with the occupiers moving in about the first half of 2019."

A road through the site would enable people to walk into Station Road if they choose.

Mr Davies added: "The Firepool proposals are another offer, creating a wider town centre, which generally should be to everyone's advantage."

He was worried about the development stalling again after the British public voted to leave the European Union two months ago.

"If you'd asked me the day after the Brexit vote I'd have said I was concerned the way things would go," said Mr Davies.

"But I think there's a genuine feeling that things aren't as bad as predicted before Brexit.

"I'm cautiously optimistic. It's fair to say it's business as usual."