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Bridgwater's "exciting" Northgate Yard complex taking shape

BBC Stuart Martin in one of the Northgate buidlingsBBC
Client project manager Stuart Martin said: "We knew that we had to replace the pool with something that the public wanted to see"

Sedgemoor District Council has said a new development it is funding in Bridgwater will "breathe new life" into the town centre.

Northgate Yard, a £16m leisure complex being built on the site of the former Sedgemoor Splash pool, is due to be completed by the end of 2022.

Project manager Stuart Martin said: "It's really beginning to shape up."

The former Bridgwater Community Hospital could also be converted into a hotel, gym and restaurant.

A construction worker named Paul, who grew up in Bridgwater and is working on the Northgate development, told BBC Somerset: "It means a lot to bring life into the town again.

"There's not much going on [here].

"Taunton is your main place to go for things like this; a cinema and a bowling alley."

The two-building complex, opposite Angel Place Shopping Centre, will include a new multiplex cinema, restaurants, a bowling alley and a sports bar.

Mr Martin, who works for the council, said he had been involved in the project for more than 10 years and believed the cinema was "quite an impressive structure".

Northgate Yard building site
There will also be an outdoor space with benches between the two structures in Northgate Yard

He said the outdoor area "will be a nice place for people to meet before going to the cinema".

Sedgemoor Splash swimming pool closed in 2009 but public consultations found local people still wanted a "leisure scheme of some description," Mr Martin said.

"The council had to step in to deliver. We felt this would be a good investment of the council's money in a commercial sense."

Michael Mackey and Stuart Martin on the Northgate site
Willmott Dixon construction manager Michael Mackey (right), said Northgate Yard was on "a very tight programme" but should be completed this year

Another construction worker, Angus, said the project was "quite exciting" to work on.

"This is the biggest site I've been on. A lot happening at once."

Key to prosperity

Meanwhile, the former Bridgwater Community Hospital could be converted into a hotel, gym, health club, day nursery and restaurant if planned proposals are approved.

Roger Smith, from Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce, said: "Having another development with the opportunity to bring more life into this part of the centre really is key to the continued redevelopment of the area."

He said having more than a hotel on the site would be important for "the prosperity of the town".

"Bridgwater people are very proud of the heritage of the town and this hospital plays a big part of that," he added.

By keeping the building mostly intact it would retain that "identity" for local people.

It is hoped the hospital redevelopment would create a gateway for the centre of Bridgwater.

"The long-term plan has to be about regenerating the whole of the town centre," Mr Smith said.