Somerset road car ban to be made permanent due to coastal erosion

A ban on cars travelling on a key coastal road will be made permanent over fears of coastal erosion.

The B3191 Cleeve Hill, which links Watchet to Blue Anchor in Somerset, closed to traffic in 2023 but reopened to pedestrians and cyclists in the spring of 2024.

Somerset Council confirmed on Friday the closure would become permanent from 31 October, despite 1,000 local residents objecting to the proposal in a petition.

The council said it has written to the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander for more money so it can divert the route inland.

The road served as a key commuting route for locals, and provided a diversionary route for holidaymakers whenever the A39 between Minehead and Williton was congested, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The road is high on the cliffs on the coastline and had experienced regular landslips into the Bristol Channel.

The closure will span from the B3191 Cleeve Hill junction with Saxon Close ending near Daws Castle 721ft (220m) away.

Although all motorised vehicles will be banned, emergency vehicles will be able to pass through.

Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to continue using the road.

The Peninsula Transport sub-national transport body, which brings together councillors from Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, marked the reopening of the road as a priority.

It also estimates it will require between £20m and £50m to divert the road inland and prevent further coastal erosion.

Somerset Council said 12 responses were received during its consultation period, including nine objections and the petition against the proposal with 1,089 signatures.

“This order can be reversed if funding is identified, so it is absolutely no impediment to attracting potential funds from central government or housing developers,” it said.

“We will continue to explore any funding opportunities that arise.”

Rachel Gilmour, Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said the permanent closure was “inevitable” but added she wants Ms Alexander to visit Watchet to see the impact of the road closure on local businesses.

James Wright, chairman of the South West Conservative Rural Forum, organised the petition.

In June he said: “This isn’t just about a road. It’s about whether coastal communities get heard or ignored.

“Everyone I spoke to, the families, older residents, local businesses, told me the same thing; this closure is hurting people.”