“It’s depressing really. Yeovil is very sad nowadays,” Lyndsay Grant, 75, tells the Express while standing at the junction of Westminster Street and Princes Street. “I only really come into the town centre if I have to as there’s not much here really.

“They’ve spent a fortune down the bottom of the town but we don’t need that. We need the help here. They need to spend money where it matters.”

Yeovil Refresh faced a host of delays after being announced in March 2018. The Covid-19 pandemic pushed back the first projects to the end of 2020 and start of 2021, while the original contractor, Midas Construction, fell into administration in February 2022 which brought work to a halt.

Although most of the work is now completed, some locals have been left questioning how much difference it has made to the town. They point out empty shops throughout the central streets as well as the lack of cleanliness throughout the town.

“It isn’t clean or tidy and there’s no shops around really,” Richard Green says. “I’m not sure what they’ve spent the money on really.”

The 84-year-old adds: “I used to live in Larnaca, Cyprus, and they’ve used almost a ‘false front’ to make the area more appealing and get more people in. In Yeovil, people come in and the first thing they see is empty shops.

“They think it’s rundown and neglected straight away. Then they won’t come back.”

One of the main aims of the Yeovil Refresh project was to improve public spaces by widening pavements and adding “street furniture”. Although this has been achieved, Mr Green believes the council has chosen the wrong type of paving stone as it marks easily and looks dirty.

He explains: “They’ve spent millions doing up the roads and widening the footpaths. I don’t know what clever person decided to use natural stone as it shows marks easily and is never clean. It makes the town look dirty.”

According to Somerset Council, the new paving on Westminster Street and High Street is natural stone. They chose it over imported stone in order to reduce the project’s carbon footprint.

The council has also proposed to replace three car parks in Yeovil – Court Ash, North Lane and Stars Lane – with flats. However, Mr Green believes the move would be disastrous for the town.

“They’ve closed a few car parks in recent years which doesn’t help to get people into the town,” he explains. “I know they need the income but you used to be able to park for free in the town which helped attract people.”

Mr Green also points out the lack of shops despite the Yeovil Refresh project aiming to strengthen retail across the town centre. The council hoped the move would “increase the number [and] diversity of employment opportunities”.

Mr Green says: “There aren’t many good shops in the town really. I came in for a simple white T-shirt the other week but couldn’t even find one. I think most people just shop online instead nowadays.”

However, Mrs Grant does acknowledge that there are plenty of cafes in Yeovil. She adds that the work to pedestrianise the town centre is positive, especially for the older generation who benefit from having “more space to walk”.

Phil, who did not want to provide his surname, has lived in Yeovil since the 1970s and seen the town change dramatically over the years. He agrees that the current situation is not positive and is urging the local authorities to do more.

Standing on Vicarage Walk in the town centre, the 62-year-old points towards an empty unit and says: “They may as well put up one big closed sign.” He explains that the site used to home an independent jewellery business but they “couldn’t afford to survive”.

Phil adds: “They really need to do more to help the businesses here. There’s not many places for people to come and shop in the town centre. You can see how quiet it is.

“Why don’t they introduce a massive weekly market? We’ve got the space and you can rent out areas to local traders. We could have a brilliant market here.”

Yeovil once had a bustling cattle market that attracted livestock farmers from across the region. It operated for 156 years but now stands desolate, overgrown with shrubbery.

The market was shut for good in 2008 and has remained empty ever since. The council attempted to bring forward disused brownfield sites for redevelopment in the Yeovil Refresh programme but there are no confirmed plans for the cattle market.

Phil says: “Every now and then you think they’re going to do work on it but they don’t. It’s just become overgrown and it’s a sad sight really.”

A key part of the Yeovil Refresh project is the redevelopment of the Glovers Walk shopping centre on Middle Street. Contractors began demolition work in April with the area set to become a 2.2-acre mixed-use site.

Yeovil’s Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance says this will be “significant” for Yeovil. He adds that Glovers Walk “stood as a symbol of decline” in the town but now “represents an opportunity for fresh ideas, local pride, and economic renewal.”

However, not all locals have a negative view of the situation. Roy Purnell, 85, has lived in Yeovil for all of his life and believes the town gets some unfair criticism.

Sat on a bench on Middle Street while waiting for a friend, he says: “I think it is getting better in Yeovil. I enjoy coming into the town and spending time [here].

“I’m actually going for lunch with a friend today. There’s places to eat and it’s sociable for us. It’s always been a quiet place which I like.”

Mr Purnell is sat near the redeveloped Yeovil Triangle which he believes is a positive for the town. The area, historically known as a busy junction in the town centre, has been transformed into an events and entertainment space with an amphitheatre, large screen, and water feature.

“Hopefully this can help get more people into the town, especially around Christmas,” Mr Purnell says. “It’s a nice space for people to come to.”

The Quedam Shopping Centre is also appreciated as a bright point in the town. Located in the heart of Yeovil, it opened in the early 1980s and continues to home a number of major retailers including H&M, Primary, JD Sports, Pandora and New Look.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said: “Yeovil Refresh was funded principally through the government’s Future High Streets Fund with support from Active Travel and developer contribution funding. Research showed that developments were needed to improve the town to bring it into the 21st century, and reflect how towns have evolved over the years.

“Somerset Council and its partners are now looking at the longer-term development of Yeovil and consulting residents and businesses on re-energising the town centre.

“The initial project achieved:

• Better traffic flows and main streets and providing attractive open spaces
• Better options for pedestrians and cyclists, and supporting bus routes
• Support for activities and initiatives in the town.

“Nationally, the old traditional high street idea that town centres are filled with rows and rows of shops is outdated. We want to create an experience where the high street offers a mix of housing, service industry and shops to help counter the effects of online shopping.”