Shepton Mallet Town Council says Collett Park upgrade plans are moving forward, including new toilets, a café, bike racks and improved links to the Strawberry Line.

Shepton Mallet Town Council says plans to upgrade Collett Park are moving forward, with new facilities and improved links to the Strawberry Line among the next steps.

In its 2025-26 annual report, the council said it had appointed an architectural and landscape practice to deliver detailed plans for the next phase of work in the park.

The plans include new toilets, a café with covered seating, bike racks next to the Strawberry Line multi-use path and on-site storage space for the council's ground-care team.

The council said the wider aim was to strengthen the link between the town centre and the Strawberry Line, with Collett Park set to play an even bigger role as a gateway into the route.

The report also highlights recent work already carried out in and around the park. That includes the installation of a new gateway arch at the Cannards Grave Road entrance and the relocation of the "Shepton's Mallet" sculpture to the start of the Strawberry Line and park entrance.

Town councillors said the park remained one of Shepton's key community spaces, with the annual Collett Park Day continuing to draw large crowds. The report said more than 5,000 people attended the event in 2025.

Looking ahead, the council said 2026 would mark 120 years since the park was donated to the town, with the next Collett Park Day due to take place on Saturday, 13 June.

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The park plans form part of a wider push by the town council to invest in local facilities as more services and responsibilities are passed down from Somerset Council.

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