Deadline approaching to deliver new Taunton footbridge

The council secured planning permission in August 2024 to remove the existing Morrisons footbridge, which links the eponymous supermarket to the Brewhouse Theatre, and replace it with a wider, more modern structure.

The installation of the bridge (which is being largely funded through central government grants) has been repeatedly delayed over the last two years, with the council prioritising other regeneration projects in the area - including the delivery of new boulevards within the nearby Firepool site.

The council has committed to delivering the project in a recent report, claiming that the final designs are "nearly complete" and it is awaiting feedback from other relevant bodies.

But the council now has just over six months to formally approve the project and find a contractor to deliver it - otherwise much of the money will have to be returned to the Treasury.

The existing Coal Orchard footbridge in Taunton (Image: Daniel Mumby)

An update on the bridge was included within a broader report on the council's capital programme published before its executive committee met in Taunton on Wednesday morning (August 5).

The same report revealed that two new primary schools - one in Chard and one in the Wilstock estate near Bridgwater - had both been pushed back due to sharp increases in their projected costs.

A spokesperson said: "The final currently planned scheme in delivering a Taunton town centre cycle link is the replacement of the existing Coal Orchard footbridge.

"The plan is to replace the footbridge with a four-metre-wide bridge deck and ramp on the Morrisons side. The scheme will also include some new public realm and landscaping."

The existing bridge currently links up with the National Cycle Network route 3, which runs along the north bank of the River Tone and onto the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.

Cyclists wishing to use the bridge to reach the Brewhouse Theatre, Coal Orchard or the wider town centre currently have to dismount, since it is too narrow for pedestrians and cyclists to safely share the same space.

The new bridge would need to be four metres wide in order to meet the Department for Transport’s guidelines for how much room is needed to allow pedestrians and cyclists to use the route at the same time (known as the LTN 120).

The existing ramp on the north bank will be replaced with steps, with a longer, shallower ramp being constructed on the other approach.

Taunton received nearly £14m from the then-Conservative government's future high streets fund in December 2020 to deliver various improvements between the town’s railway station and Vivary Park.

Artist's impression of the widened River Tone footbridge in Taunton town centre

The majority of this funding has already been spent, either on the Firepool boulevard or on upgrading the signalised crossing over the A38 Upper High Street.

Any additional funding needed for the bridge (which was projected to cost £2m in 2024) will be sourced from local housing developments via the community infrastructure levy (CIL).

The spokesperson added: "Final designs and costs for the scheme are nearly ready and we are just waiting on views from statutory authorities.

"A key decision would be required to progress to the build stage. Any scheme would take six months to deliver."

The existing Coal Orchard footbridge in Taunton (Image: Daniel Mumby)

If the council elects not to proceed with the bridge, it will have less than six months to negotiate with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on whether the remaining grant can be used on other, smaller-scale projects within the town centre.

If such negotiations fail, or a contractor for the bridge is not appointed by March 31, 2027, all remaining grants will be returned to central government.

If the bridge is taken forward, the terms of the grant specify that it must be completed and operational by April 2028.