PEOPLE doing last-minute Christmas shopping in Taunton will find enough parking spaces – despite work continuing at the Coal Orchard site.

That’s the assurance being given by Somerset West and Taunton Council, which is in the process of regenerating the site to provide new homes and employment.

Construction is proceeding at the site, more than a year on from the demolition of the former St James Street swimming baths which heralded the start of the project.

While most of the Coal Orchard car park is now off-limits to motorists, a limited number of spaces are still available on the site.

The council has said that there is sufficient parking space elsewhere in and around the town to make Christmas shopping in Taunton a viable option.

A spokeswoman said: “There are 22 spaces in the Coal Orchard car park and this will be the case for the whole of the build.

“On weekdays there are just over 4,000 publicly available parking spaces in Taunton town centre. Firepool, with over 300 spaces, is a five minute walk along the riverside path from Coal Orchard.

“On Saturdays there are an additional 292 parking spaces serving the town centre at Belvedere Road, County Hall and Shire Hall.

“There are a further 1,600 spaces at the two park and rides (600 at Silk Mills and 1,000 at Taunton Gateway at M5 J25) where you can park for £3 for the day.

“We have invested in digital signage so that customers can see where to park, instead of having to drive round looking for a space.”

The Coal Orchard regeneration was approved by Taunton Deane Borough Council in September 2018, with the demolition of the swimming pool following in December.

But construction of apartments, retail outlets, workspace and restaurants which will replace it only got under way in August of this year – and the project won’t be completed until 2021.

Midas, the council’s chosen contractor, is currently completing the pile-driving to provide the foundations, as well as putting other infrastructure into the ground before the buildings themselves can be erected.

The council has said the scheme is “on time and on budget”, with contingency being built into the project in case costs rise.

A spokeswoman said: “The costs of the project are fixed with the contractor, including a contingency for unforeseen events.

“We have worked in partnership with Midas to complete full due diligence on the site to give as much cost certainty as possible prior to entering into the contract.”

The council indicated in December 2018 that part of the site would be given over to a wine or tapas bar, and that it had “strong interest from a gym operator” for part of the ground floor space.

A spokeswoman added: “We cannot give any commercially confidential information, but we have had significant interest in both the commercial and residential elements of the project.

“A marketing campaign will commence in the new year.”