Greenway Update

Railway Station

We can't even begin to express our joy at the announcement that Wellington will have its railway station reinstated!

For us it means the developments around it will almost certainly go ahead on both sides of the line, and this means the haul road the Network Rail will build will become incorporated into the active travel plan from the station to Tonedale.

By coincidence, this also happens to be the first 500m of the Greenway, and will provide links to the Toneworks development as well as the natural joining spot for a proposed path from Langford Budv ille to Wellington.

Are you a landowner?

If so, if your land is along the river valley from Wellington to Taunton, we would love to hear from you. We don't really know the route of the proposed Greenway, but we have many thoughts and ideas which will doubtless mature as we discuss these with you. Four significant landowners have already indicated their wish to accommodate this project, but we need to talk to everyone, and to get those talks going very soon.

Walk the Greenway

The next (and probably last for 2025) walk along the Greenway is planned for 16th August. Details below.

Walk the Greenway (XVIII) | GrandWesternGreenway

Walk from station to station, town centre to town centre (Wellington to Taunton)

Linking Communities

The Greenway has never been solely about getting from Wellington to Taunton. Our plan has always included linking many smaller communities in the area either along separate paths or by making use of Quiet Lanes. Have a look at the recently added interactive map on our website to see some of the suggestions being discussed in local government and beyond.

Route | GrandWesternGreenway

The Grand Western Greenway Assoc. campaigns to build a rural active travel route, a 'greenway', between Wellington and Taunton in Somerset, UK

Membership | GrandWesternGreenway

The Grand Western Greenway is a community-led project to build an accessible active travel route for walkers, cyclists and wheelers between Wellington and Taunton in Somerset. It is a Community Interest Company, and membership endows a 'share' with members being able to vote at the AGM amd take an active role in way the organisation functions.

Biggest employer in Somerset supports the Grand Western Greenway

The Chief Executive and Chief Nurse of Somerset NHS Trust have pledged their support for the Greenway.

Somerset NHS Foundation trust employs more people in Somerset than anyone else. In this video, Hayley Peters and Peter Lewis discuss the benefits for the organisation,for their colleagues employed across multiple sites in Taunton and Wellington including Musgrove Park Hospital, and for their patients.

In this video they speak with Charles Biscoe, the lead director of the Greenway project, about these benefits. Charles later discusses the next few stages of the monumental task ahead of us.

Chief Nurse and Chief Executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust discuss the Greenway

Walk the Greenway

We had a walk planned for May, but this is now moved on into June. The next conducted walk from Wellingon to Taunton will be on 21st June, and is well worth coming along for. It gives a real look at the attractions of having an Active Travel Route through the countryside as opposed to one alongside the A38.

It doesn't follow the exact route as we have to follow public rights of way, and because we are not entirely sure of exactly what the route will be. There are many negotiations and studies to be done before that time. Charles will lead the walk, and will talk a lot about the local history of the area including the growth and decline of the Grand Western Canal, from whom we borrowed part of our name.

Details are on our website https://www.grandwesterngreenway.co.uk/events-1

Spring Greenway update

Wellington Station

I've made a few mentions about the station and its precarious journey to being built over the last year or so, but it is worth mentioning again. Although it would indeed be a bonus to add this to the public transport mix for Wellington, it is not vital for the Greenway. Yes, it would mean a haul-road would be built which we would adopt but, as I mentioned before, the proposal to build housing on the north side of the line would have to include an active travel plan. The developers are supporters of the Greenway, and their plans indicate they would either upgrade the haul-road or build their own path from Tonedale to the Nynehead Road.

Nevertheless, the Department for Transport has not shut down the Wellington Station negotiation. The Chancellor specifically singled out developments around transport hubs to boost growth, and there is no better example of this than Wellington. Gideon Amos MP has met the railway minister Lord Hendy several times, and is due to so again this week. This time he is taking a coachload of his constituents, and I'll be there pushing the case for active travel.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust supports the Greenway

The Trust that delivers all acute secondary and some primary care across Somerset is the largest emplyer in the county. Their Chief Nurse and Chief Executive agreed to an interview in which they discussed their support of the Greenway and the benefit it will bring to their patients and colleagues. The video is still being edited, but you can have a sneak peek here

Route and Engineering Assessment

Again, I've written about the work being done by Greenways and Cycle-Routes Ltd. Their principle, John Grimshaw (founder and former CEO of Sustrans) will report over the next month or two, and we are hoping to discuss this and other issues at public meetings over the summer in Taunton and Wellington. Are you interested in this?

Somerset Council Active Travel Team

It appears that, after a number of people moved away from the AT Team last year, recruitment has seen the appointment of three new officers. They are clearly very busy because, despite a number of attempts by us and councillors, we have yet to make contact with them. Let's hope that is just a temporary hiatus as they settle into post, and that we can get talking very soon.

Public Talks and Presentations

we are pleased to report we have now spoken to every Rotary Club (I think) in Wellington and Taunton. They have been kind enough to show great interest in the project and have demonstrated their support. Wellington WI have done the same, and we are always very happy to come and spread the word if you have groups that would be interested.

Throughout the summer we hope to get to more public events such as street fairs markets. We are negotiating with some of the larger employers such as Musgrove Park Hospital and the Hydrographic Office to operate a display in their public spaces. If you would like to help out with any of those, we would be very happy to see you!

That's it for this week, but let me have your questions and comments which I will do my best to answer.