Somerset Council will need £150m for new cycle routes

"Multiple millions" will be needed to deliver a new cycle route between Taunton and Wellington, a council has said.

Somerset West and Taunton Council hopes to create 30 new cycle routes across Taunton.

The paths will encourage sustainable transport between the town centre and new housing developments.

It estimates completing each section will cost up to £150m.

The new routes expand on Somerset County Council's original local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LWCIP) for Taunton, published in February.

But creating a safe alternative to the busy A38 between Wellington and Taunton would be "very expensive" to deliver, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for planning and transport, said there remained numerous land ownership issues to resolve.

"Feasibility work to assess the south side of the A38 between the Comeytrowe and Chelston roundabouts shows a significant lack of highway boundary available to accommodate the route.

"Estimations show delivery of the central 4.5 kilometre section is likely to require multiple millions for construction, land purchase or lease agreements for multiple land parcels, in addition to funding for legal agreements.

"Officers continue to explore feasibility and seek any funding opportunities that are available."

The other new routes are expected to be slowly introduced as more funding arrives.

There are several small improvements currently being made to the Taunton cycling network, which is funded either by housing developers or central government.

Over £3.5m will be spent on a new cycle route between Taunton railway station and Vivary Park.

Of this, £2,257,000 comes from the government's future high streets fund, £1,107,000 from the community infrastructure levy (CIL) charged on certain new developments, and £170,000 will come from the county council.

However, the developments may take a while to come forward as the local authority will need to find an additional £44.5m in time for the new unitary Somerset Council's first budget in February 2023.

A total of 41 short sections could be delivered across various stages over the coming years.

The majority of these routes are designed to meet the LWCIP's aim of delivering uninterrupted cycle paths across Taunton.

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