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Midsomer Norton and Radstock are two distinct town centres
serving an immediate population of approximately 25,000. In
reality, they serve a much larger catchment, offering services and
shops for a wider population drawn from the villages and rural
settlements surrounding the towns. This wider catchment
crosses the southern border of Bath and North East Somerset to
include part of Medip District Council area. The total population
of the wider area is around 46,000 people.
The area is often collectively referred to as Norton Radstock
and although the two towns are distinct in character, many of the
issues that affect one, affect the other. This led to the
formation of the Norton Radstock Town Centres Link Group, a
partnership group, concerned with both town centres, made up of
representatives from key organisations with an interest in the
future viability and vitality of the town centres.
This Action Plan, is designed to act as a “business plan” for
both town centres. The purpose is to set out a vision for the
towns, how the vision will be achieved, who will do what and the
anticipated timing.
A strategic community plan is being developed for the whole area
of Norton Radstock and the surrounding villages and rural area,
under the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative. It is intended that
this town centres action plan will feed into the wider strategic
community plan.
The Action Plan has been approved by the Link Group. It will be
kept under review and will be updated annually.
The Market and Coastal Towns Initiative was launched by a
regional partnership led by the South-West Regional Development
Agency. It provides support to enable local communities to produce
a long term strategic action plan for their towns and the
surrounding catchment area as a basis for influencing the actions
of organisations and agencies and for brokering ‘resources’ for
implementing projects to fulfil the aims of the plan. | 
