Cycle route linking Taunton town centre and station approved

Plans for a new cycle route have been approved, despite worries over space for pedestrians and flooding.

The 'southern boulevard' in Taunton will link the railway station and town centre, and is part of the regeneration of a former cattle market site.

Councillors raised questions about the width of the cycle route in comparison to the footpath running alongside it.

However Somerset West and Taunton Council planners reassured them that there was room for all users.

Funding has been approved for the regeneration of the site, known as Firepool, which has been vacant since 2008.

Councillor Brenda Weston raised concerns over space for pedestrians along the path, saying "there seems to be much more space for the bikes".

"It's difficult to know whether people with mobility scooters and so on will have enough room to navigate around there," she added.

Her worries were shared by councillor Ian Aldridge who said he was worried if it would make a "nice environment" for pedestrians.

"In Taunton at the moment, there are often cyclists who disregard the safety of people on pavements and if you say anything to them, you get a mouthful of abuse," he told the planning meeting on 10 November.

Planning officer, Simon Fox, told councillors that the path was wide enough for cyclists and pedestrians, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

"The reason why the cycle path along the river is wider is so the cyclists can go in opposite directions.

"The path is wide enough that two pedestrians can pass with relative ease," he added.

The decision comes as the temporary boulevard through the site closes for six months to allow contractors to raise the entire area to reduce flood risk and unlock other aspects of the development, which includes housing, a hotel and a cinema.

Councillor Gwilym Wren said the Environment Agency's (EA) position on the scheme was "hardly a ringing endorsement" with the EA raising the issue of the lack of a three-metre "buffer zone" between the river and the development.

The council has said it will plant further trees throughout the site and create a separate buffer zone nearer to Firepool Weir.

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