Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, who leads the Conservative opposition group on Somerset Council (which replaced the district council in April 2023) claimed at a public meeting on Wednesday (August 5) that the council had lost between £2.9m and £3.7m on the development. Commercial space within the Coal Orchard development (a.k.a. "We must have transparency on the actual loss this council has made on this development, particularly having received a best value notice from the government. He said: "Whichever figures are used, they point to losses running into the millions rather than the return that was promised. Commercial space within the Coal Orchard development (a.k.a.