THE delivery of a complete north-south walking and cycling route across Taunton will move a step closer as part of a newly-approved housing development.
Somerset Council’s planning committee west voted in mid-April to approve revised plans for the third and final phase of the Nerrols Farm development, comprising 292 homes on Lyngford Lane.
The plans proved contentious with locals due to the access arrangements, with all vehicles having to enter and exit onto Cheddon Road rather than having direct access to Bossington Drive via the existing phases of the housing estate.
To offset these traffic issues, David Wilson Homes has committed to delivering numerous walking and cycling improvements to provide connectivity with the other phases of Nerrols Farm and the wider Priorswood area.
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In addition to a new active travel link onto Leigh Road (providing a safe connection to Nerrols Primary School), the developer will be installing new shared used cycle paths along Cheddon Road towards Taunton Academy, building on the existing infrastructure north of the town’s railway station.
These improvements will aid towards the completion of the north-south ‘red route’ identified within the Taunton local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP), which will eventually run uninterrupted from Cheddon Road to the Orchard Grove site via the town centre.
The ‘red route’ runs along the southern side of Cheddon Road at Taunton’s northern edge, passing both the western fringe of the Nerrols Farm site and a planned development of 112 homes near Pyrland Farm put forward by Gladman Developments.
From there it runs south along the full length of Cheddon Road, providing connections to Pyrland School and the Wellsprings Leisure Centre.
While the existing pedestrian links are set back from the busy road, they are too narrow to allow pedestrians and cyclists to pass in both directions without one party having to use the verge.
As part of the approved Nerrols Farm proposals, David Wilson Homes will deliver a three-metre-wide shared use path in place of the existing links, as well as upgrading the existing junctions at Farm Road, Dorchester Road and Ladymead Road.
This new path will run as far as the current crossing to the school, where it will join an existing demarcated walking and cycling route heading south towards the Taunton Green public open space and the Wellsprings hospital site (which provides local mental health services).
Under the signed Section 106 agreement, David Wilson Homes must deliver this path in its entirety “prior to the first occupation of any dwelling on the site” – meaning that the new residents will immediately be able to walk and cycle to access these facilities.
The council said this was essential to “promote and deliver sustainable transport choices” and thereby reduce congestion which could be generated on Cheddon Road by vehicles from the new estate.
The remainder of the red route runs along the length of Cheddon Road, crossing over the A358 where Priorswood Road meets St. Andrew’s Road, skirting around the Kilkenny car park and joining the A3038 Station Road near the railway station’s northern entrance.
The Taunton LCWIP – which was originally published by Somerset County Council in October 2021 – contains numerous commitments to improving this section of the ‘red route’ as funding from central government or housing developers become available.
The identified improvements are:
- Widen and re-surface foot-ways along Cheddon Road, focussing on the section between St. Andrew’s Road and Hope Corner Lane
- Introduce traffic calming or low traffic neighbourhood measures to enable safer cycling and walking journeys
- Redesign the side road junctions around Taunton Academy (a.k.a. Pyrland School) to “reduce crossing distances for people walking”, with raised tables being implemented to reduce vehicle speeds
- Redesign vehicle parking outside the Costcutter store to “create a layout which does not require vehicles to reverse into the carriageway”
South of the railway station entrance, pedestrians currently have to continue along Station Road into the town centre, with narrow, busy pavements and on-road cycle lanes.
However, this will finally change by the end of the year with the completion of the Firepool boulevard and the installation of a new walking and cycling bridge over the River Tone between the Morrisons supermarket and the Coal Orchard site.
These improvements – funded by the government’s future high streets fund – will allow pedestrians and cyclists (including passengers alighting at the railway station) to safety cross over the A3087 Trenchard Way, pass through Firepool and Coal Orchard into the independent quarter and rejoin the town centre at the junction with St. James’ Street.
From there, the ‘red route’ winds over the cobbled Market House roundabout and onto the pedestrianised High Street, passing over the recently upgraded Upper High Street crossing into Vivary Park and moving through the residential Wilton and Sherford areas towards Orchard Grove.
The Taunton Area Cycling Campaign (TACC) has been campaigning for many years for improvements to be made near the Market House roundabout, with members calling in December 2024 for “urgent repairs” to be made to protect cyclists until a more substantial scheme could be funded.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, stated at the time: “We are aware of the concerns about this junction, and it is unfortunate that the cost increases in delivering the project has meant the future high streets funding could not stretch to this junction.
“We have had to stretch this funding a long way and we have to rely on external funding for significant improvements.
“We continue to look for external funding for this improvement; in the meantime, please report any issues via our website and this will be handled by our maintenance teams.”