COACH Centre for Outdoor Activities & Community Hub

Today is the day!

The Friends of French Weir Park and our community had such a great day last year, and the weather is on our side again, so come over to French Weir Park - there will be instructors leading routines, and demos, so you can sit back, watch and relax, or join in when you want to. Fun for all the family and friends!

There will be hotdogs, cakes and cold drinks available - please note, cash only.

Duddlestone farm is here today with their wood fired sauna - drop in sessions are currently available at 8.30am and 12 noon, but the rest are fully booked 😍

Looking forward to hosting Duddlestone Farm this weekend!

Work is coming along well with our decking repairs, and work is now taking place on the front section.

Thanks mostly to funding from the National Lottery and Taunton Town Council, the decking and disabled ramp will soon be fully functional again.

The cafe remains open, with seating in the park temporarily, but don’t worry - as soon as the decking is complete, the valuable green space will be free to play and relax in again.

🍦 Proposed Ice Cream Shop at French Weir Park – Have Your Say
Despite strong local opposition, Taunton Town Council has agreed in principle (subject to planning permission and other approvals) to a proposal for an ice cream container on the playing field at French Weir Park. Public consultation is now open.

🎥 Watch the video explaining the proposal:
👉 https://fb.watch/FssBwvKsOk/

🗣 Respond to the consultation here:
👉 https://ow.ly/Bl3650YeXEB

👏 Councillor Caroline Ellis has clearly and thoughtfully set out why development in this location is inappropriate, and her concerns deserve to be taken seriously.
French Weir Park is protected green space, valued by families, walkers, children, and community groups. Any proposal to build on a playing field should be treated with extreme caution — particularly where the local ward councillor and many residents are opposed.

📝 While planning permission has not yet been granted, this proposal could progress unless residents speak up. There will be further opportunities to object, but now is a critical moment.

COACH strongly opposes this proposal for the following reasons:

❌ The proposed location would damage the open, natural vista of the park and permanently change its character.

❌ Claims that the unit will operate year‑round and only sell soft scoop ice cream are questionable and unenforceable.

❌ The Weir Café currently helps fund COACH’s community activities — a competing outlet risks undermining vital income that supports local people.

❌ There is a real risk the container will operate for only a short summer period, then sit unused for much of the year, becoming an eyesore and attracting anti‑social behaviour.

❌ The site lies on a key walking route for children travelling to North Town and Castle School — this is not an appropriate place for a permanent food outlet that targets children.

❌ French Weir Park is protected under Fields in Trust. Allowing development here risks setting a precedent that makes future encroachment harder to resist.

🌳 Once protected green space is lost, it is rarely recovered.
If you value French Weir Park as an open, safe, and unspoilt space for the whole community, please take a few minutes to respond to the consultation and make your views known.

Parks are for people, play, and nature — not permanent development.

Update: Access Improvements at French Weir Park
Here’s a quick update following this week’s Council meeting.

🚑 Emergency Access Comes First
We’ve had serious incidents in the past where ambulances and fire crews struggled to reach people in the park. This is not acceptable and fixing it is now the top priority.
TTC are working with all emergency services to make sure they have the right keys and clear access at all times.

🚫 Current Bollards Will Be Removed
The new telescopic bollards installed last year don’t meet accessibility standards and cause issues for:
visually impaired park users
cyclists
emergency services
These will now be taken out and replaced.

🔧 What Will Replace Them?
TTC now looking at a better, more park‑friendly solution, and several options are on the table:
A swing gate
Stronger removable steel posts
Height‑restriction barriers (to stop caravans and large vehicles)
Oak posts or earth banks along grass edges where appropriate

BUT — and this is important — French Weir Park will not get a one‑size-fits‑all solution.

Its layout, footfall, water activity, and emergency risks mean it needs a bespoke plan.

👥 Working With Park Users
A dedicated on‑site meeting will take place next week with:
Friends of French Weir
COACH
Ward councillors
Council officers
Together we’ll look at the entrances, space limitations, and what will work best for the community without harming safety, accessibility, or the look of the park.

💷 Budget Approved
Funding has been approved to:
Remove the unsuitable bollards
Install new, compliant access measures
Improve surfacing around the park entrance

📝 Next Update
Once the on‑site review is complete, we’ll share the final recommended designs before any installation happens.

Operations and Assets Committee Meeting 29 January 2026 Taunton Town Council (Council Chamber), The Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton, TA1 1HEMembers of the public are welcome to attend.

One thing off the very long list!!! Roof of the main building has been repaired with a "bandage" running all the way around the top edge. This covered the trim which had been attached by rivets driven through the waterproof material vertically. This caused divots in the roof that held water and some of the the rivets had rusted all the way through.

The volume of rain this week has tested the fix and we are confident we are back to being nice and dry in the parkroom. We can now move to painting / general tidy up.

https://tour.panoee.net/6958fc1292283677a2789172

Coach Coach upstairs