Vital Somerset road to shut 'indefinitely' unless millions of pounds can be found
The B3191 was closed by Somerset County Council on January 12
A vital Somerset coast road could remain closed indefinitely unless significant sums of money can be found to fix it.
The B3191 connects Watchet and Blue Anchor on the west Somerset coast, serving as both a vital connection between the two settlements and an important diversionary route for holidaymakers when the A39 to Minehead is closed or congested.
The road was closed by Somerset County Council on January 12 after a geotechnical survey showed that heavy rainfall had accelerated the ongoing erosion along this stretch of the coast.
Following more detailed inspections, the council has now confirmed that “further movement in inevitable” and that it will be impossible to reopen the entire road without “major intervention”.
The road is currently closed on Cleeve Hill at the Watchet end between the Daw’s Castle heritage site and the Saxon Ridge residential area, according to the council’s official Travel Somerset roadworks portal.
The road can still be accessed from the Blue Anchor end, where a £3.7m scheme to protect the Anchor’s Drop pub and the neighbouring properties will be getting under way in the spring.
Plans were put forward by the Cleeve Hill Development Group to diverse this stretch of the road inland as part of a development of 136 homes; however, these were refused by Somerset West and Taunton Council’s planning committee shortly before this most recent closure was implemented.
The English Coast Path in this area has already been diverted inland, and the county council is currently exploring opportunities to create cycling and wheeling connections for residents in the area and visitors to access Watchet.
The council is considering applying to the Department for Transport (DfT) for funding to save the road – but officers have advised that any grants are “highly unlikely to materialise” given the high costs involved and the practical difficulties in saving the nearby cliffs.
Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for transport and digital, said: “The situation with land movement in this part of the cliff is terminal; eventually the road is going to disappear into the sea.
“It’s essential we keep the closure in place indefinitely for the safety of the public – the level of risk attached to keeping it open is frankly unacceptable.
“We understand people’s concerns about losing this road and have invested nearly £4m in works at Blue Anchor to safeguard road access for businesses and residents in the area, so that they will have an alternative route for the long-term.
“There are a couple of options laid out by our engineering experts which could potentially save the road – but we have to be clear, these would be a significant in terms of undertaking and scale and with a price tag running into the many millions.
“We have to be realistic – that’s not just unaffordable for this council, in all likelihood it’s unaffordable for government at this time, given the huge pressures on public spending.
“Nevertheless, we will explore all options with the government to see if funding is possible.”
Without the Cleeve Hill housing scheme going ahead, the road would have to be realigned entirely through taxpayers’ money – with a 2020 report estimating that it could cost up to £28m.
A study for the county council by WSP identified a number of schemes which would maintain either all or part of the road between Watchet and Blue Anchor – including a new bypass through the former Wansborough paper mill site (where 350 new homes are planned), linking the road up with the B3190 Washford Hill, or building a “tidal lagoon” across Watchet harbour with the new road running on top.
While the funding for the Blue Anchor scheme is fully in place, there is no space within the new unitary authority’s initial budget to fund work at the Watchet end of the road.
John Richards, chairman of the Watchet Chamber of Trade, said that action was urgently needed to reduce the impact of the road closures of businesses in and around the town.
He said: “The current situation is making it very difficult for local businesses to survive, with significant less footfall since the road was closed.
“We are already working on a plan to mitigate the situation and we will include the county and district councils, Watchet Town Council and the Watchet Coastal Community Team (plus the new Somerset Council after April 1) in these plans to ensure visitors are encouraged to continue visiting the town, despite the loss of this picturesque through-route.
“Shops and businesses only survive on this passing trade, so it is vital that we look at all possible solutions to mitigate this loss of business.”