A BID to reimagine Tiverton town centre including a boost to its historic market will be put to the test as residents get a chance to give their views on it.

A plan for changes to the town centre has been drafted and now those living there will be able to make their voices heard as part of an eight-week consultation.

A key feature of the proposals revolves around the Pannier Market, whose current iconic iron-framed structure was built nearly 200 years ago in 1830.

A document laying out various ideas suggests that through a “series of sensitive interventions”, improvements could be made to the site’s visibility, footfall, and environmental quality, as well as diversifying its potential customer base to “cement its role as the literal and cultural heart of Tiverton town centre”.

Decision-makers at Mid Devon District Council said it had taken nearly a decade to get to the point of having a thorough plan that could be debated and commented upon by residents, meaning a significant milestone had been reached.

“This is not a blueprint, but a framework for the community and civic groups to debate and discuss points laid out here,” Councillor Steve Keable (Liberal Democrat, Taw Vale), the cabinet member for planning and economic regeneration.

“I hope we get some robust discussion where new ideas come forward.”

Cllr Keable was asked where funding for some of the suggestions would come from, however, he said that working out costs would be done once it was clear which elements were of greatest priority to residents.

Tiverton member Councillor Les Cruwys (Liberal Democrat, Tiverton Cranmore) said the plan was “the best one I’ve seen yet”, but made a series of pleas.

“I don’t have any worries about this, but we are going to embark on a journey, and before we set sail, it would be good to make sure there aren’t any holes rather than detecting them when we’re already at sea,” he said.

Cllr Cruwys suggested that more focus needed to be directed towards an area of land between Gold, Bampton, William and Barrington streets, suggesting it “could have some benefit to the town if it was developed properly”.

He also felt that rather than maintaining coach parking at William Street, a parcel of land near Mark’s and Spencer and behind properties on Fore Street would be a suitable coach park, and added that he believed “Tiverton will not accept” the notion of housing in Beck’s Square.

The proposals state that a development in Beck’s Square could “deliver a new residential area comprising high quality and climate change resilient homes with access to excellent quality amenity space”.

“The new homes, which could include the provision of new specialist supported housing, will improve footfall and support town centre business and cultural destinations and set a quality benchmark for more housing in the town centre,” it adds.

“The project will support and complement the proposed redevelopment of the adjacent museum through the creation of an improved setting and ensure retention of coach/bus drop-facilities.”

Cllr Keable acknowledged there was a “debate to had around Beck’s Square”, and that it was the “most expensive bit of real estate in the town”.

“I’d be happy to engage in a debate about whether homes should go there, as I would like to see more people living in the town centre and making it a location for a community rather than creating a town where people move in and out of it,” he said.

“Whether this scheme is right or it could be improved doesn’t matter right now, we’re just putting it out there for debate.”

Councillor Sure Robinson (Liberal Democrat, Cullompton Padbrook) agreed she thought the document was “superb”, but urged for a focus on safety for residents in any town centre upgrades.

“Young people state very clearly that they don’t feel safe in central Tiverton, and I think if you combine that with the elderly community, there is more work to be done on how to create spaces where everyone feels safe,” she said.

Cllr Robinson added that supporting a nighttime economy was also important.

“While the nighttime economy can be noisy, we need to think which areas could successfully support a real, buzzing nighttime economy for the town,” she said.

The public consultation on the proposals for Tiverton town centre begins this month and will run for an extended eight weeks compared to the usual six weeks that the council ordinarily runs such campaigns for.

Consultation responses will then be analysed in January and February next year, with amendments being made in March and April, with the aim for cabinet and council to ratify it in the summer.