HIGHBRIDGE town centre is to receive a long awaited facelift following the decision to relocate its ageing livestock market to a site near Bridgwater. Sedgemoor District Council has confirmed the joint development with Mead Realisations to build a state-

HIGHBRIDGE town centre is to receive a long awaited facelift following the decision to relocate its ageing livestock market to a site near Bridgwater. Sedgemoor District Council has confirmed the joint development with Mead Realisations to build a state-of-the-art livestock market at the regional rural business centre close to junction 24 of the M5 that will open in September.This means Highbridge can now benefit by revamping its town centre space where the market used to be.The decision to relocate the 120-year-old market was taken because it was feared it would struggle to meet any future standards set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Mead Realisations' plans for Highbridge include new shopping facilities and housing in the town centre to complement the existing regeneration. Managing director Derek Mead said: "I've bought the market site but we want to get our thinking caps on and think a little outside the box on this one."Architects are currently drawing up plans to be put before the town council but no date has been set for a presentation as yet."But over the next two to three years there will be a lot of changes for the better in Highbridge."The leaders of Sedgemoor District Council, Councillor Duncan McGinty, is also positive about the town's future prospects. He said: "We have been pursuing the Government's market and coastal towns initiative for regeneration, of which the development of the market site will form an important part."Highbridge has suffered for a number of years and the new development will be a massive boost for the area.