Author: Charles Biscoe

  • Phew, that was close!

    Phew, that was close!

    This week we faced the very real possibility that Wellington Railway Station would get swept away as the Restoring Your Railways programme was cancelled in the Chancellor’s statement on Tuesday.

    This would have posed a serious threat to the Greenway as one of the key motivators for public funding is the need to connect communities to the station by means other than driving there.

    Our first phase build was dependent on taking over the haul road that Network Rail will build on the north side of the ine, and which would normally be removed. However, they are pleased to leave it on place, saving them the cost of removal and allowing us to upfade it to an acceptble standard.

    So, big kudos to our newly elected MP, Gideon Amos, for persevering right to the very end of the debate on Tuesday to get an assurance from the Chancellor that projects which had already started would not be cancelled. It remains to be seen whether stage 4 GRIP funding (there are 8 stages, and stage 6 is construction – read more here) is considered to be ‘started’, but all the signs are pointing to that being so.

    Project Work Book Funding

    One of the vital pieces of work we have to get going is a rigorous review of both route options and engineering solutions along those routes. This takes the form of a detailed project work book prepared by our partner organisation Greenways and Cycleroutes. For those of you who regularly read these posts, you will have seen mention of the legendary John Grimshaw. he heads up Greenways and Cycleroutes, but prior to that he founded sustrans and was at its head for 30 years. John is a Civil engineer who is currently building the Strawberry Line and many other projects around the country.

    Funding for this type of work is not easy to find, but Somerset Council was awarded £400,000 by Active travel England to finance the the ‘scoping’ work for schemes that have not yet started. We applied for a very small portion of this fund but were turned down ‘because it was not an on-road project’.

    When you consider that a path that goes through the countryside costs about 1/6th of building on or adjacent to the highway, it does bring into question why Somerset Council would persist on a path alongside the A38 which they acknowledge will never get built.

    We appreciate theyre are many competing priorotoes around the county, but when a community led organisation os offering to build (we’re not asking the council to build it) a multi-user path between the County town and its nearest large satellite, you would think this one would be a very attractive proposition. But no, it’s not. Maybe we need you to make your voices heard.

    Street Stall

    Finally, we have a street stall planned for this Saturday (3rd August 2024) in Taunton Town Centre. Come along and say hello – we’ll be very pleased to see you!

  • How we plan the route

    How we plan the route

    If you’ve walked the Greenway with us, you will know there are many options for route selection. It would be wonderful to simply follow the route of the Grand Western Canal, but the topography today is much different now to what it was in the 1840s. Agriculture uses enormous arable fields through which the canal route would cut striaght through the middle, and the parts of the canal that remain are too precious to degrade further.

    It is likely we will use many public rights of way which incorporate the canal route, but there are some parts where we have to move away from the river to overcome flooding problems.

    One major obstacle to overcome is the Bristol to Exeter railway line. the canal was built long before the railway, so Brunel put in a tunnel through the embankment to accommodate it. This remained for the best part of 100 years until it was back-filled in the 1970’s to strengthen the line for high-speed trains. Although very overgrown, we believe the portal still exists, but passage through the tunnel is a thing of the past.

    Of course, there are level crossings, but we would really like to use the same route through the embankment as the one used by the River Tone at Pickings Bridge. Is that possible? Who knows, but we hope to find out.

    Getting past the railway line is one thing, but avoiding the areas most prone to flooding is another. It seems likey our route may move to the north at Allerford and follow the line of the railway into Silk Mills, and then across Frieze Hill into the Firepool along Trenchard Way.

    At this stage we have no certainty so, to gather more information about the engineering and access issues, we are hoping to commission Greenways and Cycle Routes Ltd to survey the route and create recommendations about practical options. We have applied to Somerset Council for funding from the grant they received from Active Travel England for such work, and are hoping for a response fairly soon.

    If you would like to know more about the route and the countryside through which it will go, why not join us on one of our Walk the Greenway events

    In the meantime, we are very grateful to those people who help to support our work with dontaions. If you would like to become one of those, please use the link below and accept our grateful thanks.

  • Greenway progress report

    Greenway progress report

    Wellington – phase 1

    This illustration of the new Wellington station was provided by Network Rail as part of the planning application for the recently approved housing development. It is important to note that this is purely a representation and not the final design.

    Nevertheless, if we assume we are looking at the south side (i.e. the Wellington side) and the land to the north is open country, Network Rail will be building a haul road to facilitate construction. We aren’t quite sure where it will join the road network, but we are confident it will run from the Longforth Bridge over the line, and alongside the track to this point.

    It has been communicated to us that Network Rail has decided not to dismantle the road, which is the standard procedure. A development firm interested in the land on the northern side has committed to improving the road and integrating it into the area to establish a direct travel connection between the housing and the town.

    We have an agreement with the owners of the Nynehead Boat Lift to have access around the lift out onto the Nynehead Road. There are some details to iron out about further access, but we may have come very close to establishing a link from Longforth to the Nynehead Road. The next part will be from there to Nynehead, thus establishing a traffic-free route between the village and Wellington.

    The Taunton End

    For those of you who have walked the walk with us, you will know that the path aims to cross the southern boundary of the Frieze Hill Community Orchard along the public bridleway to Staplegrove Road, next to Turner’s Allotments.

    We had a very constructive meeting with representatives from the Orchard and the Allotments to discuss the nature of the path, the way it is constructed, the types of fencing we would use, and future maintenance. I think it is fair to say we were able to answer their questions in a way that alleviated any concerns they may have had.

    As we reported recently, Taunton Town Council has given us their support in writing as we begin to discuss our aspirations with the public rights of way team at Somerset Council. We appreciate we have further discussions to have with homeowners and other stakeholders, but we see some real progress in establishing a route through to the Silk Mills Road.

    Walk the Greenway

    New dates are on our website to Walk the Greenway in June, July, and August. If you haven’t done so, have a look and see if it is for you. 8.5 miles of flat walking taking about 4 hours, followed by a very nice bus trip back to Wellington. Details here

    Feasibility Studies

    When planning a route such as this, we will rely on the expertise of others to a large extent. Our partnership with Greenways and Cycle Routes Ltd is one such example.

    John Grimshaw, the man on the left in the image, is the founder and director of Sustrans. He is credited with establishing the Bristol to Bath Cycle Path and numerous others throughout the country. A civil engineer by profession, John is featured in the newest section of the Strawberry Line leading to Wells. Together with Caroline Levitt, he leads Greenways and Cycle Routes and has welcomed us as one of their partners.

    We plan to commission these studies to provide more certainty to the route and identify obstacles. Somerset Council has received a £400,000 grant from Active Travel England for route development, and we will apply to them for funding, but there is no guarantee of success.

    Nevertheless, conducting a campaign incurs expenses. While we have received generous support from a few organizations (Wellington Town Council, Taunton Town Council, and Somerset Community Fund), we constantly require additional funds to sustain our efforts.

    We appreciate any donation, regardless of its size, as a sign of the genuine support we have received from our supporters, both currently and in the future.

  • Pop-up Shop

    Pop-up Shop

    The Greenway is going very public!

    After some superb publicity generated from a Facebook Live interview with Daniel Mumby which made it to almost everywhere including the top of the BBC Southwest pages, we are about to do our first public information event.

    Some of you may know about the Pop-Up Shop in Fore Street, Wellington but for those that don’t, this is run by Wellington Town Council who offer it to various causes for nothing other than the cost of the utilities.

    We have it for the whole of next week, and will be there in person from Wednesday to Saturday. We have used the generous grant fomr Somerset Community Foundation to put together our materials, so why not come along and say hello.

    High Sherrif’s Coffee Morning

    Rob Beckley is a supporter of the Greenway as well as a keen cyclist and member of the Wellingto Wheelers Cycling Club. Both he and his wife walked along the valley with us a few months ago. The High Sherrif is holding a coffee morning for any number of walking and cycling groups who are scheduled to congregate on the playing field at Blagdon Hill on 9th June … at coffee time! Again, we will have a stall, so why not come along and support us.

    Walk the Greenway

    Yes, we are continuing our popular walks along the valley from Wellington to Taunton to look at possible routes the Greenway may take. e throughout the summer, so why not come and join us. The route is about 8.5 miles along footpaths over almost flat terrain. We have kept going throughout all the rain and rain of winter, and not heard anyone say they didn’t enjoy it.

    To sign up, go to the Events page on our website

    New Brand

    I am proud to announce that a collaboration with the media department at Richard Huish College has produced some outstanding work for us to use into the future. Our website and logo design had been a bit rushed, but now we have a new one. The students who are in their first year os study at Huish designed almost all the materials we are using in the Pop-Up shop -I’ll send out some photos when we have it all set up, but here is our new logo

    There is much more news on the back of the Wellington Station, but I will make that the subject of the next post.

    Thank you as always

    Grand Western Greenway Team

    (Want to join us? Get in touch)

  • Taunton Town Council supports the Greenway

    Taunton Town Council supports the Greenway

    The Council had a full meeting on Monday, 9th April, the Council were asked to consider a proposal to support the Grand Western Greenway.

    Councillors were told that the Grand Western Greenway Project aims to establish a greenway between Taunton Station and the proposed Wellington Station directly connecting the two towns linking with smaller communities along the route.

    Councillors were asked, as the landowner, in co-operation with The Committee of the Frieze Hill Community Orchard Group and Turner’s Allotments, to support the necessary permissions required to upgrade the Right of Way (T33/12) running alongside Turner’s Allotments and the Community Orchard.

    It was agreed to support this important active travel initiative. Councillors resolved to write a formal letter to the Grand Western Greenway Association affirming their support.

    Deputy Leader of Taunton Town Council, Cllr Martin Straus said “Embracing sustainable active travel projects not only promotes healthier lifestyles but also fosters a stronger sense of community and environmental stewardship. Through initiatives that prioritise walking, cycling, and public transport, we’re paving the way for greener, more inclusive communities where everyone can thrive”

    We are Walking the Greenway (again!)

    Now the weather is clearing up a bit, we are back on the Greenway trail again. If you haven’t done so already (and even if you have), why not join us on Saturday, 20th April to Walk as much of the Greenway starting from Wellington and finishing at Staplegrove Road in Raunton.

    We’ll be following the proposed route of the Greenway from Wellington to Taunton, as far as footpaths allow. Get up close and personal and learn more about the plans.The terrain is flat and covers an overall distance of 8 miles, finishing at Staplegrove Road in Taunton. We’ll be meeting at the rear entrance of Pritex (Relyon) at 9:30 and finishing at roughly 2:30, with a break at Bradford Bridge – snacks essential!

  • Progress in 2024

    Progress in 2024

    This year is going to be one in which we get down to real talking and, so far, it is going well.

    It has always been our plan to build the path in phases starting at either end. I’m pleased to say the development at the Wellington end of the station and hundreds of houses offer great opportunities. Network Rail plan to have the station open by May 2026 at the latest, and part of that construction will be a haul-road on either side of the line. It looks likely that will remain in situ, which gives us a significant part of the phase 1 build at the western end.

    At the eastern end, there is also industrial development planned which offers similar opportunities. The new Taunton Town Council are hugely supportive of our ambitionbs and have already grant-aidid us with a small initial sum. We are hoping they will adopt a proposal through council to support us which paves the way for access along land they already manage on behalf of Somerset Council.

    On behalf of our group, can I thank you for your continuing support, and can I also remind you we are conducting walks along the greenway (or as close as we can get to it) each month. The next is on 23rd March from Wellington to Taunton. it is about 8.5 miles of flat walking which might have had an opportunity to dry out over the next couple of weeks. Please join us if you can https://www.grandwesterngreenway.co.uk/events

  • Walk the Greenway – new dates!

    Walk the Greenway – new dates!

    We have been taking groups of people to walk along the route of the Greenway, and they have proved to be very popular, even through the winter when the ground has been pretty soft underfoot.

    Although we can’t follow the route exactly, we are able to get close for much of it and we are sure from the feedback we’ve received that it is informative and interesting.

    The route starts in Wellington close to the site of the new station, sets off along the canal and public footpaths until we end up in Taunton about four hours later. The terrain is flat, and we take a short break in Bradford on Tone.

    We have added new dates for March, April and May, so join us whenever you can. It is free (unless you’re feeling generous!) and we are sure you will enjoy the walk, the company and the views. Click here to sign up

    As for progress with the Greenway, we are in acvtive discusions with councils and landowners at each end of the route. As you probably know, we hope to build this in stages from either end and eventually meet in the middle.

    Although we have over 400 supporters, our ‘committee’ is small, and we are always on the lookout for skilled and experienced volunteers who can add to our skillset. This year is hugely important as we begin the real process of evaluating the route and having conversations with planners and landowners. If you have expertise you think you can lend to the group, please get in touch, and we will be pleased to hear from you.

  • Somerset Council supports the Greenway

    Somerset Council supports the Greenway

    It has been an interesting end to 2023 for the Grand Western Greenway. We held our inaugural meeting 12 months ago and set the following objectives for the year which felt pretty stretching at the time:

    1. Recruit 250 supporters over the next six months
    2. Engage with two landowners and negotiate a written commitment
    3. Participate in the Sustainable Travel Between Wellington and Taunton study commissioned by Somerset Council
    4. Raise £1500
    5. Create publicity material to promote the campaign
    6. Participate in one promotion event such as the Wellington Pop-Up shop

    We described the first year as one in which we wanted to make friends with people, and we have certainly done that! Let’s look at those objectives, and maybe you can decide how we’ve done.

    1. Recruit 259 supporters. We have over 400 people subscribed to the campaign, and have recruited businesses ranging from small CICs to the largest employer in Somerset. Somerset NHS Trust and the Integrated Care Board as provider and commissioner recognise the enormous benefit to be had from ready access to nature and exercise. Do you reckon we can move that up to 1000 people this year?
    2. We are actively engaged with two landowners, both of whom are having realistic and positive discussions with us about how they can best support the Greenway. There is a long way to go, but engagement and commitment are our touchstones for 2024.
    3. We have participated in the unusual Somerset Council study. I say unusual because it came to a conclusion that they don’t seem to support themselves. That was that the Council should build a path alongside the A38. This is despite it costing at least four times as much as a countryside path, is generally unpopular with all but a small group of travellers, and starts a mile from Wellington town centre and ends at least another mile from Taunton town centre. The Council acknowledges that they would be very unlikely to build such a path and therefore fully support the community-led Greenway. This support is extended to any number of Parish and Town Councils, as well as receiving the enthusiastic backing of County Councillors across the political spectrum.
    4. We have raised in excess of £1500 pounds through the generosity of Taunton Town 
    5. Richard Huish College have taken the Greenway on as a project for their A level art and design students to develop the materials to promote the campaign. They have received their brief from us, and have a deadline to complete in time for our last objective….
    6. We have the Pop-Up shop in Wellington Fore Street booked for a week in April!
  • What a year!

    What a year!

    With your support, we have made much progress with the Greenway. 

    Somerset Council has agreed to fully support the project (sadly, without any money) despite their own options assessment supporting a route alongside the A38.

    We have presented our campaign to numerous parish and town councils, all of whom have pledged their support. Important County councillors are actively lobbying on our behalf, and we have developed relationships with innumerable influential people and organisations.

    Somerset Foundation NHS Foundation Trust is the biggest employer in Somerset with responsibility for all the hospital and community care in both mental and physical health, as well as running a number of GP surgeries across the county. The Trust supports the Greenway at Board level in recognition of the crucial part that nature and exercise has to play in the health of our communities.

    The Somerset Integrated Care Board (it has had many names and guises before including the Health Authority, PCT, PCG etc) welcome the Greenway as an active space that can be used for Social Prescriptions i.e. supported exercise and activity in conjunction with traditional treatment.

    Wellington Town Council strongly demonstrated their support of the Greenway by identifying £10,000 in their 2024 budget to be used for kickstarting the campaign and supporting its development.

    Somerset Community Trust has generously granted a significant sum for us to develop materials to promote the campaign and to continue our development.

    So, thank you to you, our supporters. Thank you for coming on our journey, and especially to those of you who have ‘Walked the Greenway’ with us. We continue to do this on a monthly basis so, if you want to join us on one, sign up on the Events page on our website.

    Thank you!

  • Council conundrum

    Council conundrum

    Somerset Council has published their much delayed options appraisal for sustasinable travel between Wellington and Taunton. It looked at an enormous amout of information about the two towns, our populations and the current forms of travel between them. Needless to say, they noted the majority used the heavily congested A38

    They then looked at a number of routes for active travel and, after much deliberation, settled

    on….. yes, you guessed it…. four routes along the A38; two on the north side and two on the south. They decided these would be favoured by people with less ability because there is no lighting on the Greenway – or on the A38 apart from a small section from the Chelston roundabout to the Blackdown Garden Centre. There were quite a few anomalous findings, but the crunch comes with cost. To build a route beside a road is at least four times as expensive as building one across open countryside!

    So here is the conundrum. Somerset Council has no money to build anything so no action will

    come of the report until such time as their finances are returned to health. But, because the Greenway is a community-driven project built by us, they fully support us in our endeavours. They also support building an A38 route in sections but cannot see themselves doing that now or at anytime in the forseeable future. We ran a small poll on this website a few weks ago asking you which route your preferred, and you responded with a thumping 85% in favour of a Greenway. As a result of consultation earlier this week, the Council will form a position statemnt stating the above which will go to the Council Executive in January forconsideration of adoption into policy. 

    This is important for us because we now know we have the full support of the council and any number of County Councillors. The Greenway appeals to so many both as a commuter route and a leisure facility. It is accessible to all ages and abilities and cannot fail to bring added prosperity to the area. So, bouyed by this result, we enter the new year with plans to start concentrating on phase one from Wellington to Nynehead.

    This is the point where we need to start bolstering our very small team. We need people experienced in land negotiations, planners, builders and fundraisers. We have many partnerships already, but if you think you have something to offer, please get in touch.