'Crucial' coast road needs funds, Somerset MP says

An MP has asked the newly appointed transport secretary to urgently provide funding to reopen a "crucial" coastal road in Somerset.

The B3191 Cleeve Hill, which links Watchet to Blue Anchor, has been closed to motor vehicles since January 2023 because of fears of coastal erosion.

The road reopened to pedestrians and cyclists earlier this year, but Somerset Council said it could not reopen the road to cars, motorbikes and lorries without a “major intervention”.

Rachel Gilmour, Tiverton and Minehead MP, said: “This road is a crucial link in west Somerset, and I hope that the government will be able to see the benefits."

Gilmour made her plea in a written question, asking whether Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander MP would “allocate funding to rebuild the B3191 between Watchet and Blue Anchor”.

The budget included a promise to invest an extra £500m in the 2025/26 financial year on “local roads maintenance”, on top of £1.6m to “maintain and renew the nation’s roads”.

Gilmour said: “Improving transport links across the constituency is one of my key missions.

“If we are going to tackle the issue of social mobility in west Somerset, improving transport connections is the crucial next step in increasing the number of opportunities for residents.”

The council estimated in March 2023 that it would cost between £30m and £60m to realign the Cleeve Hill section of the road inland.

The road has been closely monitored for the past couple of years by the independent firm Geckoella, which has been advising Somerset Council on what is happening on the west Somerset coastline.

The Blue Anchor end of the B3191 has been protected from additional coastal erosion through a £3.5m coastal defence scheme, with granite rock armour being installed below the Anchor’s Drop pub between May and November 2023.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) Wessex flood and coastal committee previously committed £1.5m towards coastal defence works in the Watchet area – funding that remains available.

But, while the EA confirmed in December 2023 that there were no time restrictions on spending this funding, Somerset Council has stated it is ringfenced to work on protecting the coast and therefore cannot not go directly towards a new road.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.