Somerset Council has awarded SWH (Taylor Woodrow) Ltd a £1.2m contract to deliver a series of active travel schemes in Yeovil as part of the ‘Yeovil Refresh’ regeneration programme.
The work will focus on ‘improving connectivity through and around the town centre, making walking, cycling and wheeling into the town centre much easier, [and] improving safety for all’.
New infrastructure and enhancements to the active travel network will be delivered in Hendford, South Western Terrace, Central Road and Middle Street. These schemes will extend the links from existing routes, which run along the southern edge of the town centre.
Minor drainage and patching work will also be carried out at Pen Mill station.
Cllr Richard Wilkins, lead member for transport and digital, commented: ‘This is an exciting next phase in the regeneration of Yeovil. By improving the road network, extending cycle and walkways and introducing new wayfinding systems, our aim is to open up access to green spaces – ultimately creating a sustainable and fit for purpose 21st century town.
Key to the design has been the prevention of loss or damage to trees along the southern part of scheme, in addition to the retainment of a London Plane located at the junction of Hendford Grove and Hendford.’
Toby Lander, operations manager for South West Highways (SWH) added: ‘After completing works on Westminster Street, High Street and the Borough and with our works on Middle Street and Wyndham Street nearing an end, we are looking forward to maintaining our relationship with Somerset Council on the Hendford project. As always, we would like to thank all local businesses and residents for their patience during these works.’
The funding for the works comes from Somerset Council’s £106m of ring-fenced cash secured through the Levelling Up, Town Deal and Future High Street funds.
The money is managed across six major regeneration projects including the provisional Levelling Up funding for Wellington Tonedale.
The total budget for the Yeovil Refresh is currently £24m. The plans have been revised in recent years as costs increased and the programme suffered delays due to Midas Construction, the original contractor, entering administration in February 2022.
Works at Wyndham Street had to be ‘paused’ due to funding constraints.
A Somerset Council spokesperson has now confirmed that a reduced version of the works in Wyndham Street/Newton Road/Middle Street and Sherborne Road is being completed.
Further active travel work is planned for South Street and Stars Lane in Yeovil but would be delivered in a different phase of the programme; it has been designed but no funding is allocated to it at the current time.
In 2022, Taylor Woodrow, Eurovia Contracting North, South and SWH Contracting integrated to form one team.
Picture credit: Colin Burdett