The delivery of Bridgwater’s new health and social care academy faces potential delays unless bat mitigation measures are established on site by the end of October. The facility, funded by over £19.7 million from the levelling up fund announced by the former Conservative government in January 2023, is planned for the former community hospital site on Salmon Parade, with an additional satellite site in Minehead.
Since the funding was secured, progress has focused primarily on developing the Minehead satellite location near the town’s new police station on Stephenson Road. Meanwhile, design and remedial work continues at the Bridgwater site, carefully coordinated alongside other regeneration projects in the area.
In May, Somerset Council gave formal agreement to heads of terms for the project with local NHS officials, paving the way for construction to commence following the granting of planning permission. The anticipated completion date is spring 2028.
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However, the project now confronts an additional hurdle: plans to convert part of the former gatehouse at the south-western corner of the site into a “dedicated bat mitigation building” must receive approval. This measure is essential to protect the local bat population and must be implemented within roughly two and a half months, before the end of the bats’ active season on 31 October.
This gatehouse stands adjacent to the proposed access point and car park for the academy. Without timely bat mitigation, construction could be delayed.
The health and social care academy itself is expected to deliver up to 3,000 training sessions annually through the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. The nearly 3,000 square metre facility will feature a variety of training rooms, offices, and outdoor spaces over three floors. Additionally, the site will house an early years centre and an independent living centre, which aims to support individuals wishing to remain in their own homes longer with appropriate technology and assistance, reducing the need for nursing home care.
A spokesperson from Avalon Planning and Heritage, representing the council, stated that “positive discussions” are ongoing between the council, Historic England, and the Environment Agency regarding potential additional funding required to advance the project.
They also highlighted challenges with the main listed building, noting deterioration due to water ingress during a particularly wet winter. This has caused prolonged dampness affecting timber joists, lath and plaster ceilings, and floors, particularly in the central, oldest section of the structure.
To maintain progress and comply with strict levelling up fund deadlines, the council is seeking a bat licence from Natural England to relocate the bats to the newly created habitat during the current active season. The application for change of use of the former gatehouse is being made ahead of amended plans for the broader regeneration scheme.
The current Labour government has extended timelines for levelling up fund grants, requiring all funds to be committed and contracts in place by 31 March 2027. All monies must be fully spent by 30 April 2028, or any unspent funds must be returned to the Treasury.
Somerset Council is expected to consider both the bat mitigation proposal and the amended regeneration plans in the coming weeks. Due to the project’s scale and importance-and with the council as the applicant-it is likely that these plans will be reviewed by the council’s planning committee north, which oversees major applications within the former Mendip area, rather than being delegated to planning officers.