Cheddar to Wells Traffic Free Path

Background

A proposal for a path arose following SCC‘s decision to abandon any long term plans for a by-pass of settlements along the notoriously dangerous A371.  The council’s alternative strategy was to provide a safe traffic-free path to link the villages and communities along the route between Cheddar and Wells.

In 2005 a grant of £50,000 was made by the Somerset Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (SALSF) to finance a Project Officer to head an Advisory Board of local community groups to study possible path options and recommend a preferred route.  This Advisory Board met regularly from September 2005 and in June 2006 recommended a route utilising as much of the dismantled railway line as possible.
(See Advisory Board team below)

Although the route would provide an excellent leisure facility for local residents and tourists, one of the major attractions of the path would be to provide a safe traffic-free link for children to reach the main schools at Cheddar and Wells, as well as local primary schools.  The steady growth in obesity levels and its associated diseases, especially in children, is a compelling reason for backing this project.  

The path would reduce unnecessary chauffeuring to school gates and provide greater opportunities of getting to work other than by car.  The path would not be just for the young and fit in society but being level, with many access points, would be eminently suitable for older people and those with disabilities as well as addressing rural issues of social exclusion.  Leisure and recreational facilities in Wells and Cheddar would be in easy reach of cyclists instead of using the car.

Experience from other path projects shows that the greater part of construction funding is raised by community groups from national sources (e.g. Lottery) and not from Local Authorities.
 
(Board invitees; Somerset County Councillors, North Somerset Council, Mendip DC, Sedgemoor DC, Cheddar PC, St Cuthbert’s Out PC, Rodney Stoke PC, Westbury PC, Easton Representative, Mendip AONB, Sustrans, CVRWS, Equestrians (MCTT), LEGS (Wells Group) and a representative for the Disabled).

Tourism & Economic benefits

This Cheddar to Wells path would form the key ‘central section’ of the Strawberry Line which links westward from Cheddar to the existing traffic-free path to Yatton and its mainline railway station, (via Axbridge, Winscombe, Sandford and Congresbury).  North Somerset Council has plans to extend this on to Clevedon.

A three meter wide section of the Cheddar to Wells path has already been completed from Haybridge to Wells Leisure Centre allowing a route on quiet residential roads to the centre of Wells.  

Going east, a recently conducted feasibility study by Sustrans showed that the existing path from Wells to Dulcote could be extended to the centre of Shepton Mallet (along the dismantled railway line), and link up to the town’s ‘Millennium Way’.

The proposed route would contribute strongly to sustainable tourism by encouraging cycling and walking holidays to the area with the attractions of the Caves and Gorge in Cheddar, the Cathedral, museum, Bishop’s Palace and moat in Wells and the well known Caves and Mill of Wookey Hole.   The path has the dramatic south facing slopes of the Mendip Hills in the Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) to the north, and the Somerset Wetlands landscape of the Levels & Moors to the south.

A resent report by L Lumsdon, the professor of Tourism, forecasts net economic benefits for pubs, cafes, village shops and local farm produce, and of course locally grown strawberries.  He estimates that tourist spend would exceed £1 million by the end of year five of the path operating with a steady growth to follow.

The ultimate aim is to see a pan-Somerset Strawberry Line path stretching from Clevedon in the west to the Cranmore Railway attraction in the east, all eventually linking on to Radstock, Bath and Bristol.  By using dismantled railway lines the Strawberry Line offers an attractive and level route travelling through attractive and varying countryside.

Similar traffic-free trails in Cornwall, Devon, Sussex and the Peak District have become well know attractions generating large visitor numbers bringing economic benefits to local rural businesses.

The Route

The aim of SCC and the Advisory Board was to use the former railway line in order to achieve a direct and level path suitable for walkers, cyclist, horse riders and the disabled.  Where this was not possible criteria was developed to ensure consistency when looking at route diversions.  These were;
  • Unnecessary demolition of buildings
  • Impairment of a business
  • Unnecessary use of domestic land
  • Avoid hazards (e.g. road crossings)
  • Length of any detour
  • Maintain rural character
  • Cost
A planning application for the path had been submitted in 2006 but was withdrawn to address certain concerns expressed by the County Planners before re-submitting – these concerns related to;

1. possible impact on wildlife requiring a further environmental survey
2. possible loss of some trees through Haybridge
3. loss of amenity to those who had bought sections of the former railway cutting in Easton.

With funding from SALSF & AONB two surveys have been completed confirming that there were no environmental reasons for not proceeding with the construction the path. Also a topographical survey, undertaken by WS Atkins, confirmed that a route through Haybridge was possible without damaging any mature tress.

Since 2006 there have been some changes to the section of railway cutting through Easton.  Most significantly Sustrans has bought the property that had the longest individual section of cutting, and being the first house by the A371 safeguards a route underneath the bridge.  It also become clear (since 2006) that a number of residents who own other sections of the Easton cutting would in fact prefer the cutting to be used; as opposed to the suggestion of using the elevated north side of the cutting which would overlook them.  

To describe this cutting as sections of ‘garden’ gives a quite misleading impression of the nature of the land. Whilst it is true that some residents have sought to incorporate the cutting into their garden in most cases it has been left as an inaccessible area filled with scrub.  The cutting can best be described as a deep trench (sold to residents some years ago and situated at the far end of their original gardens) and is approximately 7m deep by 8m wide (23’ x 26’).  (See photograph and plan below).

In Easton seven alternative routes were closely researched and assessed by the Advisory Board and county officers.  Using the criteria already referred to above most of these were rejected because they diverted too far from the line. The suggestion of using the existing footpath to the north of the cutting was rejected on the grounds that it would involve impractical and costly ramp structures measuring 148m in length to achieve a suitable gradient.