WELLINGTON Town Council is to investigate the financial implications of funding a much-needed pedestrian crossing.

Calls have been growing for a crossing to be introduced in the Station Road and Waterloo Road area of the town, and a bid has been made to Somerset County Council’s Small Infrastructure Schemes initiative for 2018-19 for funding.

But Cllr Andrew Govier told the town council last week that he heard that while £1.5m was available for the schemes, bids totalling about £7.5m had been tabled at County Hall from authorities across Somerset.

“We might need to look at funding this ourselves if it isn’t taken on – it is a scheme with merits,” he said. “It is a fast bit of road and a nasty bend.”

Deputy Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd said: “It’s imperative that we have a crossing there.”

The call for a crossing in the area has come about following a petition by Waterloo Road Pre-School and supported by teachers and parents from Beech Grove Primary School.

In a report, town clerk Greg Dyke said: “In order to give this scheme a better chance of success in the county council’s SIS programme it would be helpful if the town council was prepared to make a financial contribution.

“No specific amount has been requested but it is suggested that if an offer of around £2,000 was made this would help to give this scheme more of a chance of being included in this year’s SIS programme.”

The town council agreed for Cllr Govier to make investigations into the funding and timing implications of a pedestrian crossing for the Station Road and Waterloo Road area and earmark £2,000 towards the project.