Weston to Clevedon Multi Access Route – The Pier to Pier Way
This route is being constructed by North Somerset Council and will enter the south of the Parish across the Tutshill Sluice with a new – off road – connection being created to Yeo Bank Lane. It will then use existing lanes to exit the Parish via Lower Strode Road in the north. The project has been underway for several years and updates appear below with the latest information at the top.
Update 8th November 2023
NSC have announced that the route will now “open in the spring” of 2024.
An article explaining the reasons for the delay has appeared in the council’s own “North Somerset Life” publication and is here Pier to Pier Way Announcement November 2023 (PDF opens in a new window)
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Update 9th September 2023
NSC have appointed a consultant to conduct a RSA2 audit on the route. This must be completed before it opens. The parish council has shared the parish’ concerns about safety on the public lanes with the consultant.
No known date yet for the off road section.
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Update 7th August 2023
In correspondence with NSC, it’s looking like October 2023 will now be the opening date. The Parish Council has written to NSC about a number of outstanding issues that have been raised over time, and we await their response.
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Update 7th July 2023
In an article published in the North Somerset Times on the 7th July, NSC apologises for the delay in opening the route and suggests that it might take another nine weeks for it to be completed ….and for legal agreements to be signed.
Sounds like September at the earliest.
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Update 23rd March 2023
The Project Manager had given a verbal update to the clerk for the parish council meeting.
Construction of the new farm bridge had been completed but the approaches on either side need to be finished. The cycleway contractors will be invited back to finish off in April/May and plans for the changes in Yeo Bank Lane are being discussed directly with residents.
The proposals regarding signage which the parish council had submitted after consultation with parishioners, are said to be accepted and will be worked into the plans which will be sent back to the parish council for approval in March. New trees and hedgerows are likely to now be planted in September.
The route is likely to “quietly” open when it is completed – possibly in June – and an official opening is being targeted for the middle of July.
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Update 26th January 2023
The formal response to the NSC proposals on signage along the route is here (PDF opens in a new window)
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Update 15th December 2022
On the 7th December 2022, a public meeting was held at which the NSC Project Manager outlined their plans for keeping the route through the lanes safe and for the signage to be used along these lanes.
The presentation is here (Presentation PDF – opens in a new window)
The comments and suggestions from the attending members of the public are here (Comments PDF – opens in a new window)
The next step is for the Parish Council to discuss this feedback formally at their meeting on 11th January 2023 and to send a formal response to NSC about the proposals.
Additional feedback is welcome (please email: [email protected]) and villagers are welcome to attend the Parish Council meeting on the 11th. The meeting will take place in the Village Hall from 7.30 pm.
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Update 21st November 2022
Construction work continues and the route is targeted to be opened around Easter 2023.
In advance of that, NSC representatives are visiting the village on 7th December 2022 to present on their Safety and Signage proposals for the route through the lanes. The briefing starts at 19.30 and all interested parishioners should attend if they can.
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Update 28th June 2022
In an announcement made by NSC on the 28th June 2022, they say that construction of the route has been delayed and that it will now open in early 2023.
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Update 21st May 2022
Unfortunately, the Environment Agency has still not authorised the building of the new farm bridge so the project is currently stalled. Discussions are taking place between NSC and the EA to get this issue resolved but realistically, opening is heading for Autumn 2022 at the earliest.
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Update 25th March 2022
At present, the Environment Agency hasn’t signed off the licence for work to start on the new farm bridge so, whilst work on the tracks either side of the Yeo is continuing, the main build is delayed.
When the contractors can start, that will see the most intensive period of about a month of lorries coming through the village to deliver the stone necessary. The contractors have been told to not start before 9 and to finish by 3 to avoid any conflicts with our young people and the school buses. I’ll let you know on the website and village Facebook as soon as I’m told about the start date of these movements.
Realistically, the opening of the route is heading for “late summer”, which may now turn into “autumn”!
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Update 3rd March 2022
NSC are experiencing some delays in obtaining the crucial documentation from the Environment Agency and only when this is received can work commence on the river. Once construction starts, a period of one month will see the majority of the building materials having been delivered to site so this will be the period of most lorry activity through the village.
Completion of the route in “summer 2022” remains the aspiration
Update 19th January 2022
This section will appear in this month’s edition of the Village Magazine
Firstly, you may have seen articles in the press around Christmas about the “Pier to Pier Route” (as it is now being called) from Weston to Clevedon and which we are very familiar with because of the major works taking place at the bottom of Yeo Bank Lane. The NSC Project Manager joined us at the meeting to brief us on progress.
There are two contractors involved – one to build the new farm bridge and one to lay and to tarmac the multi-use path on either side of the River Yeo. To date, the bridge parts have been delivered as a very large “Meccano” kit but the contractor is waiting for a key document from the Environment Agency before they can start construction of the parapets. When that approval is in hand, deliveries of the stone for these parapets will start to arrive and this period could last for up to six weeks.
The path contractor has started laying the foundations of the path working south from Mud Lane and – on the other bank – north from Wick Lane.
Work on the signage and routing along the village lanes will be underway in parallel with the bridge and path construction and the aim is still to open the whole route this summer. An early meeting has been held with residents of Yeo Bank Lane to discuss how contractor traffic can be controlled.
We have invited the Project Manager to attend our next meeting but, in the meantime, we will advise you on our website and through Facebook when we have any – certain – information to share.
Update December 14th 2021
North Somerset Council today formally announced the start of the work and the North Somerset Times Online also covered the story.
The two pieces are on the attached document Link to announcements about the route (PDF opens in a new window)
Update November 2021
This summary appeared in November’s edition of the Village Magazine
We have now received confirmation for the Tutshill Multi Access route project, that contractors are appointed will start on site on the 6th December. There is likely to be a two week period of setting up before the traditional, construction industry wide Christmas break. We expect activity will ramp up in the new year, we have already made strong representation to the NSC team the importance of minimising disruption to the village and maintaining safety (e.g, vehicle movements to avoid school transport times). The Project Manager will attend the Council meeting in January to give an update and to receive early feedback from us to how things are progressing from a village perspective.
Following my write up on the route in the last edition, a parishioner kindly pointed out that Mud Lane itself is far from “vehicle free” so, when the route does open, we will all need to take extra care along this section and, of course, the other lanes through the parish.
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Update September 2021
This summary appeared in September’s edition of the Village Magazine
The Parish Council met in the Village Hall on the 8th September and a key item that we discussed was the commencement of work on the Weston to Clevedon Multi Access Route.
There was a planning application in 2018 (18/P/4758/FUL) to which the Parish Council and many others objected but which was passed by the Planning Committee; and it is now about to go ahead. The Parish Council were visited and briefed by the NSC Project Manager at our meeting.
The Route in Overview
The project will see the building of a new agricultural bridge over the Congresbury Yeo just upstream from the current Tutshill Sluice. This will allow all livestock and farm movements to be moved onto this bridge – which will in turn allow the route across the top of the Tutshill Sluice to be used for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
The route will start from Wick Lane in the south and run up to and across the sluice. Then it will head north up to Tutshill Farm and then turn east along Mud Lane before joining Yeo Bank Lane. From Wick Lane to Yeo Bank Lane, this will amount to 1.4km of shared – and motor vehicle free – route.
North from Yeo Bank Lane (and south of Wick Lane), the signed route will all be on existing lanes. On our side of the Congresbury Yeo, this means:
– Up Yeo Bank Lane
– Left into Ham Lane
– Right onto Broadstone Lane
– Left onto Middle Lane
– Right onto Back Lane
– Left up New Cut Bow
Once out to the north of our Parish, the route will access the coastal route into Clevedon along an existing track from Lower Strode Road.
Construction work
It is anticipated that the construction work will take six months and the planned opening of the entire route is pencilled in as “Easter 2022”
Access for the delivery of materials will be from both sides of the Congresbury Yeo as there is a very low weight limit on the existing sluice. This means that there will be many deliveries of equipment and raw materials being made through the village – Lampley Road, The Triangle, Ham Lane and Yeo Bank Lane. There will be a road condition survey undertaken before the work starts and at the end and it is part of the contract that repairs will be made where road surfaces and markings have been damaged during this work.
The Parish Council have requested that within the contract, that there are limited times when construction traffic can pass through the village (i.e. limited hours in the day – avoid school bus times) and we have been assured that these will be put in place. We will publish those on our website as soon as these are inked in to the contract. Mud on the lanes is inevitable and the contractor will be obliged to clean up as they go along.
The Parish Council and NSC will monitor the performance and courtesy of the contractors and their vehicles and will report violations of any agreements. I know that you will support us in this!
Apart from the very obvious challenges caused by large lorries passing through our lanes, there will be noise generated by the work. This could particularly emanate from the building of the foundations for the farm bridge. We understand that piles of up to 30 metres in depth will have to be sunk to find sufficient support for these foundations but we are assured that this will be done without resorting to the sort of percussive piling that is used on some other major construction sites (this is the same approach being used by National Grid for the new pylons).
The Parish Council will do all it can – in conjunction with NSC – to manage and resolve issues as they arise and we have a dedicated page on our website that will carry all of the latest information which we can share with you.
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Update July 2021
The contract to build the farm bridge has been awarded and tenders are out for the remaining work. NSC are now targeting
“Easter 2022″ as the opening date.
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Update January 2021
In conversation with the NSC Project Manager it is now intended to start construction work “in the summer of 2021” with a view to the route being open in “winter 21/22”
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Update September 2020
Since the last update here, funding has been received from Government bodies and the project is progressing through its design stage. It is expected that work will begin “on the ground” in March 2021.
The route is now going to be open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders and the new section will run from Yeo Bank Lane in Kingston Seymour to Wick Road in Wick St Lawrence.
Other than this specific new section, the remainder of the route from Weston to Clevedon will use existing lanes.
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Update 24th March 2020
The route will not now start in 2020 as had been reported in the media. Funding has not been received.
It is possible that work could start in March 2021 and may be completed by September 2021
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Update – 21st December 2018
The Council submitted a full response to the planning application, lodging a strong Objection on bahelf of our parishioners.
Nevertheless, at the NSC Planning and Regulatory Committee meeting on the 12th December, the application was APPROVED – subject to conditions. We await the formal minute to understand what those conditions are.
We understand that North Somerset Council will now be applying to ventral Government for funding.
All of the documents – including our response – are available to view on the North Somerset Council website here Link to NSC Website Planning Applications (opens in a new window) and search for 18/P/4758/FUL
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Update – 26th November 2018
Matters have progressed at pace (since the original post below) and a full planning application has been submitted. Search for 18/P/4758/FUL on the NSC website to see all of the details.
A village meeting took place on the 24th November 2018 at which parishioners expressed their views at an “open” Council meeting. This has served to inform the Council of what to say in its response to the planning application.
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Original Post – October 2017
The Weston to Clevedon cycle route is a long held ambition of North Somerset Council and, since it was last discussed with us in 2013, the project has been on “the back burner”. However, following the success and publicity surrounding the Brean to Weston cycle route, interest in the route that will prospectively go through Kingston Seymour has been re-energised.
Your Parish Council became aware of this shortly before the September 2017 meeting and we invited representatives from the project along to that month’s meeting.
The draft minutes of that meeting captured what was said about the link.
To understand the latest proposals for the proposed Cycle Route through the village.
David Fish (DF) attended on behalf of North Somerset Council (NSC) to explain the current position with the proposed Cycle Route from Weston to Clevedon.
By way of background, DF advised that the proposal had first been discussed in 2012 but had been stood down when Natural England declared their intent to create a Coastal footpath and North Somerset Council deemed it most appropriate to work with them at the due time. The Coastal Footpath work is underway and it is NSC’s intent to work closely with Natural England.
The creation of this Cycle Route being part of North Somerset Council’s overall strategy to encourage greater access to areas of the county and a healthier lifestyle.
A document – dated August 2015 and entitled “Weston to Clevedon Cycle Route – Tutshill Crossing Proposals: Kingston Seymour to Wick St.Lawrence” – was available (and will be placed on the Kingston Seymour website), but DF stressed that whilst this a good starting point, he would be reassessing the proposals in this document to re-test their validity so it could not be assumed that these proposals were exactly what was going to happen.
By way of timescales, DF envisaged that initial feasibility work will be completed in this financial year (i.e. by the end of March 2018) – that in the FY 2018-19 there would be funding applications made to various bodies and planning permissions sought where required – the in 2019-20 once funding was in place, a three month tender period would be started, with construction some time later on in that financial year. The project could easily take up to 5 years to deliver
A number of questions were raised by parishioners at the meeting and these have been summarised and listed on the supplementary sheet to these minutes. These questions will be formally submitted to North Somerset Council and this list will be maintained and developed going forward. A copy of the latest position will be placed on the Kingston Seymour website.
Action: Clerk to create and maintain the list and to formally write to North Somerset Council
MS acknowledged the feelings of many of those in attendance and thanked DF for coming to see the village at such an early stage in proceedings. MS emphasised that a number of fundamental questions were asked which need a comprehensive and robust response. A future visit will be arranged so that DF can update the village on progress and, in the meantime, the question bank will be kept up to date with the latest responses from North Somerset to the questions raised by the parish.
The minutes refer to two documents.
- The first is a fairly detailed analysis of the Kingston Seymour to Wick St Lawrence section. This demonstrates the level of thinking that existed at the time the project was formally shelved in August 2015. This document is here Link to Original Document (PDF opens in a new window).
- The second is a list of questions which we have now formally asked North Somerset Council. This document is here Link to Questions Document (PDF opens in a new window) This document will be updated as answers are received or as new questions are raised.
Update – Late October 2017. North Somerset Council have given an initial response to our questions and these are posted here Link to Question Answers (PDF opens in a new window)
Steve Dixon, Parish Clerk