December 23, 2005
New regional agricultural centre will take place of Highbridge market
A £50million regional agricultural centre, which looks set to replace Highbridge market, has come a step closer this week.
After nearly four years of negotiations, Sedgemoor District Council has passed the planning permissions necessary for the developers, Mead Realisations, to make a start on building the huge region-wide centre.
The centre will combine a livestock market, milk processing plant, farm and machinery shops.
Around 1,000 jobs will be generated by the centre at North Petherton, near Bridgwater, which is scheduled to open in 2007, and is widely expected to replace both Taunton and Highbridge livestock markets.
A Sedgemoor District Council spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com that the current Highbridge market site looks likely to be discontinued and built on – although no firm decision has been made.
“The new facility will not be just a livestock market, but rather a rural business centre offering a range of services to the agricultural and related countryside industries in the area.”
“It will build upon the proven success of both Taunton and Highbridge markets and will provide a great boost to the future well-being of the farming industry in the area.”
