New cycle link to improve station access

A council is set to spend more than £600,000 on a cycle link ahead of the planned construction of a new train station.

Wellington's new railway station is anticipated to cost up to £20m and will be delivered north of the Lidl Supermarket, with access being provided through a new 161-home development.

Somerset Council has said it will spend as much as £607,000 over the coming months to ensure a new cycle link improves access between the future station and the town centre.

The funding for the design and construction of the improvement scheme comes entirely from a grant from Active Travel England, which forms part of the Department for Transport.

The planned cycle link will run between the Nynehead and Lillebonne Way roundabouts and will eventually provide an off-road cycle link between the town centre and the Chelston roundabout.

The Somerset town has not had a train station since the 1960s but its new one could be finished as soon as 2028.

A final decision on the housing development, through which the cycle path will run, is expected to be made by the council's planning committee in the spring.

Network Rail is due to submit its own separate application early in the new year for the station and associated infrastructure with a vision of a 2028 completion date.

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