DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed that an empty town centre shop is set to be taken over by a funeral director.

Quantock Funeral Services is planning to move into a former jewellers, and more recently clothes shop, next door to the empty NatWest Bank in Fore Street.

The family-run independent funeral service has applied for planning permission to refurbish the front of the grade two listed building.

But town councillor John Thorne yesterday expressed concern that Wellington was losing another retail premises in a prime location.

Cllr Thorne, who is also one of Wellington’s two county councillors, said: “It is a very unfortunate change of use right in the heart of the town where as a council we want to encourage shopper footfall.

“We will shortly be launching the council’s pop-up shop further along Fore Street as an initiative to encourage potential retailers to try out their business ideas in the town centre and hopefully go on to establish shops of their own.

“And we have a town centre working group which we specifically formed in response to the number of shops that were closing in Wellington and members were tasked with looking at ways to support and revive retail trade.

“I appreciate having a shop close and be replaced with a funeral director business may be better than having premises standing empty and boarded up.

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“But it is not going to help with boosting the numbers of people who stay in Wellington to do their shopping, which is why I am disappointed by the news.”

Cllr Thorne said he was not opposed to more funeral services moving into Wellington but he did not feel the town centre was an appropriate location for them.