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00:00Good morning once again, people of Somerset. It is Daniel Mumby, your local democracy reporter,
00:07on a blustery Monday morning in Somerset's county town. And you join me outside County Hall,
00:14right in the heart of Taunton, specifically outside this building known as C Block, which
00:20has been part of County Hall for a number of decades, but will very shortly not be part of
00:28the local authorities headquarters here because the building in front of us has just been sold off
00:33for £1.7 million to Prime PLC, which is a company that specialises in healthcare facilities and
00:42accommodation for key workers. It's been sold off as part of, like I say, a £1.7 million deal by
00:47Somerset Council as part of a wider sale of non-operational assets. The A Block and B Block,
00:54the buildings beyond there, are still in operational use. They're used for offices,
00:58hot desking and a certain number of meetings on the ground floor. But this particular building
01:03will soon be transformed from the inside out into accommodation for key workers. What we mean by key
01:09workers include people employed at Musgrove Park Hospital, very much here in Taunton. And what we're
01:16going to do for the next 15 minutes or so is show the route that these employees will have to Musgrove
01:24if they end up moving in here because one of the reasons that this building has been taken on by Prime
01:30PLC is because it is within walking and cycling distance of Taunton's main hospital. And we're going
01:37to show you, we're going to put you in the minds and the footsteps of someone moving in to this expansive
01:43block. It does look a little dated from the outside but we're assured it's in good condition on the
01:48inside. The conversion will be along the same lines of what we've seen at the former Debenhams offices
01:55further along the way. So we'll give you as much background information as we can
02:01and we'll just quickly cross over the A38 and continue on our journey. So like I say the sale of
02:09C block, you can get a better angle on it here, all seven stories of it. It's part of a sale of
02:18non-operational assets which the council needs to do in order to balance its annual budget.
02:23It managed to get an extension from the government to essentially borrow money against the sale of
02:30those assets when it set its budget in February. We don't yet have a start date for when that
02:36redevelopment will commence. What we do know is that there will need to be a certain amount of
02:41planning permission secured whether under permitted development rights or a straightforward conversion.
02:47If you may remember that during the pandemic there was a relaxation on permitted development
02:52rights to allow office buildings to be turned into homes and some of that is still in place under the
02:59new national planning policy framework. So we'll be keeping a close eye on that.
03:02One little wrinkle as well of the sale which we learnt as a result of an email that went out to staff is
03:10the land around C block also includes the designated smoking area for the whole of County Hall. So if you
03:20work at County Hall and want to go out for a cheeky cigarette you now have to do it completely off the
03:26premises. They are not providing a replacement smoking shelter and like I say the sale of the building
03:35to £1.7 million will help to balance its books and it's worth pointing out as well that Prime PLC
03:44the company that is taking on the project is the same company that recently delivered the
03:50Diagnostics Centre near Yeovil Hospital. So very much staying in the same neck of the woods and the same
03:58kind of investment in Somerset. We're just walking away from Shire Hall now which is also subject to
04:07extensive roadworks at the moment. This is a part of the gyratory it's a bit of a complex junction to
04:14navigate as we go over Westgate Street making sure that nobody is turning in to run me over
04:30and we can safely cross.
04:35What I'm going to do is just get onto the other side of Compass Hill as rush hour continues forward.
04:40That's very kind of her letting me over. Yes Susan we are not far from the old police station off
04:49Burton Place which is in itself in the process of being converted into flats. The buildings at the
04:56back have already been converted. The main structure we understand is coming along at a later date but
05:01we'll keep you posted on that and thank you very much for your comment this morning.
05:03So we're now heading down further along the A38 and if you're used to driving to Musgrove you know to
05:14get in the left-hand lane here and that will lead you into the complex via Parkfield Drive.
05:20What we might do is use a little pedestrianized cut through which I spotted on the right-of-way map
05:27when I was researching this the other day and then we will bring you a few more details.
05:34So just to give you some background some statements that were released to the public late on Friday
05:39afternoon after the sale had been finalized. So the building has a total footprint of 4600 square meters
05:47and the new accommodation C block although it will be taken on and built by Prime it will be operated by
06:00a separate company called Hive, H-Y-V-E which is a not-for-profit provider of key worker housing
06:07and they currently run a key worker development in Dorchester called Alexandra House
06:13in Brewery Square. They're also working on a new development near the Royal Cornwall Hospital in
06:18Truro so very much staying along the same lines. Like I say we could carry on down there but instead
06:26we're going to take this little back route stay off-road wherever we can and hopefully this is
06:33putting you in the minds like I say of someone doing their morning commute for their shift at Musgrove
06:39having uh woken up in one of the new flats that will be constructed in the not too distant future.
06:46Like I say a lot of it will be internal retrofitting and it won't just be NHS workers that will be
06:51eligible there is also uh potential for people working for the police the fire service along with
06:58teachers social care workers and child care people, child care personnel I suppose would be the more
07:04more professional way of putting that so it will be very much marketed with those people in mind
07:11and we have a statement through from Will Bilbre who is the technical development director at Prime
07:15and here's what he had to say about the project.
07:18Our previous projects we have seen first-hand how having access to holistically designed accommodation
07:23can transform the experience of key workers improving their well-being and supporting them
07:30to stay with employers longer. We are excited to get started on redeveloping C Block at County Hall
07:36giving it a second life as an asset to the local community.
07:40We also had a statement through from Councillor Mike Rigby who is
07:43portfolio holder for economic development planning and assets also represents the Lyddiard division
07:49just off the edge of Taunton and here's what he said. We are very pleased to see this sale completed.
07:56When the council was formed in 2023 we committed to reviewing our building estate
08:00and making the right decisions including selling buildings that were no longer required
08:05to generate income that would play a part in protecting vital services for residents.
08:08This sale is a great example of the positive changes and steps we are taking to address the budget gap we face.
08:17Providing accommodation to our country's key workers is also a great opportunity
08:22and we look forward to seeing these plans progress.
08:26So that's Mike Rigby from Somerset Council as we cross over the road here. It's a lot quieter than I anticipated,
08:32but we still have our wits about us. It's not that long after nine o'clock so still technically rush hour or just afterwards.
08:40And we will now find our way onto Parkfield Drive over this little stream and we get our first view of Musgrove.
08:50The last time we were down here of course was when we were looking at the local cycling and walking infrastructure plan
08:58linking the Orchard Grove site to Musgrove and then on into the town centre using that path on the other side.
09:04But we'll stick to this side of the road for the time being.
09:08We're not going to go into Musgrove itself because we don't have permission to film inside the hospital.
09:15We'll probably get as far as the helipad so that we don't run the risk of disrupting any of the ambulances or
09:21identifying any of the people coming in either as emergencies or for routine appointments.
09:25That's not what we're about. So like I say, depending on what course Prime and Hive take
09:34with the planning permission for the site, it might be a case of
09:40re-developing sea block under permitted development or it may involve a fuller planning application with
09:47more lengthy consultation including input from Taunton Town Council. One way or another, I think it's safe to
09:53say we can expect work to begin before the end of the year, meaning the flats will start being offered
10:00by early 2026. And what would be great if anyone from the Department for Health and Social Care is watching
10:08this is if we can get some clarity in that time on the future redevelopment of Musgrove under the new
10:16hospitals program that was put on hold due to budgetary constraints. A lot of the improvements
10:23around Musgrove including its second multi-storey car park and now on hold until the late 2020s or
10:30early 2030s. Musgrove of course is a hospital which is much valued not just by the people of Taunton but
10:38it serves a huge area including the whole West Somerset area up to Minehead. A large stretch of
10:48the communities along the M5 including Wellington, Bridgewater and Highbridge. Once you get to Highbridge
10:54you might start going to Western instead but Western General Hospital has had its own issues to deal with
10:59in recent years. And it is a huge employer in the area not just public sector workers but all the
11:07the subcontracting that goes on, cleaning, security, all the rest of it. So when Musgrove does well we all
11:12do well. And hopefully what this little live stream has illustrated is how relatively easy it is to access
11:22this amazing facility on foot or on a bicycle if you do end up living in one of the new flats. It's
11:30relatively quiet residential roads there are crossing points and clear well-maintained footpaths
11:38on all sections so
11:43why would you uh unless it was snowing or a thunderstorm why wouldn't you leave your car there
11:49and make the journey on foot especially with parking being at a premium in that part of Taunton.
11:58So we're just coming to the bottom of Parkfield Drive now you can see the other cycle route off Henley
12:05Road just uh spearing off north towards the uh Somerset uh colleges that are there and the Castle
12:13School if memory serves like I say we are not going into any of the hospital departments today
12:20and I've not heard any helicopters hovering overhead so we shouldn't be interfering too much in any
12:25landings going on but we have reached the perimeter of the hospital site in very good time
12:32and that's where we'll bring things to a close. If you missed any part of this live stream it will
12:37be available for the next 30 days if you fancy uh doing this walk yourself you can carry on down that
12:44shared use path which leads you down past the new car park area and off towards Orchard Grove
12:52and like I say feel free to watch back any part of this if you have any if you missed any section if
12:57you respond to any uh if you drop any comments or questions that you have I'll try and get to them
13:02retrospectively and I shall be back this weekend for another live stream it may be in Chard it may be
13:08carry a rival it may be all the way up in Burnham we will see but in the meantime from Mosgrove Park
13:13Hospital this is Daniel Munby your local democracy reporter wishing you a great day and a brilliant
13:18rest of the week bye for now