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Taunton & District
Civic Society

Protecting the Past &

Influencing the Future

Taunton and District Civic Society, Founded in 1971, Registered Charity no. 297710

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T&DCS 06_Sept_11.wpp Last updated 6Sep11

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Here you can find out what we do, and why - and, perhaps as important, what we do not do.

Our orientation is primarily towards the future: communities and towns that do not accept and make the best of change are doomed to wither - sometimes in a very genteel way, sometimes catastrophically. So we support good new buildings and new facilities, but seek to make sure that good things in our area are not lost or destroyed in the process of change.

Taunton has been identified as a place that is to be expanded: in government jargon a “strategically significant city or town”. The Society looks to ensure that the character of the town is not lost in ill-considered expansion, and that we get benefits from the changes that are – at least to some degree – inevitable. Changes for Taunton, Wellington, and other parts of Taunton Deane should be sustainable and likely to be good for those living and working in the area. Questions such as whether there will be jobs – and quality jobs – to accompany increases in the number of homes, the adequacy of the physical infrastructure (roads, flood prevention etc.) or the service provision (education, health, public transport, cultural activity, shopping) are all affected by planning and associated policies, and we seek to contribute to these as they develop.

The Keep, Jellalabad Barracks, Mount Street, Taunton, from Vivary Park

In this website...

you can find our programme of meetings and trips designed to keep people informed about their heritage, about issues affecting us now, and what may happen in the future.

There are links to important strategy and planning policy consultations that will affect our lives in Taunton, and to a selection of the more significant planning applications that are currently going through the local planning system.

Often these plans take years to come to decision and even longer to result in buildings, roads, spaces and amenities that you can see, so there is an archive of our newsletters and other historical material that lets you see how things progressed - or not.

See what membership offers you here - and help us by joining the Society.

The Society exists to stimulate public interest in and care for Taunton and the surrounding area by seeking

to promote high standards of planning and architecture and
to secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest,

Membership is open to all who are interested in actively furthering the purposes of the Society.

Ripping up the Planning System!

That’s what the government is going to do if its draft National Planning Policy Framework is enacted.

The new policy is basically simple: say yes to development and don’t worry about urban sprawl, sustainability or suitability - or even if it is necessary.

The draft Framework is now out for comment (consultation ends on 17 October) but the Planning Minister sounds determined to go ahead.

Read all about it on our PLANNING pages