Somerset County Council has finally given the go-ahead for the final part of the controversial Frank Foley Parkway to be built.
The long-awaited announcement, made on Wednesday (April 23rd), is the result of discussions between local councils and developers to put in the necessary steps and funding to complete the road.
The Frank Foley Parkway – also known as the Burnham Eastern Distributor Road – is part of the local housing development and sufficient funds have now been secured from developers in order to start work.
Somerset County Council will have responsibility for building the road and will begin by carrying out an evaluation of the site in order to produce detailed designs.
Ecological, land and geotechnical surveys will be carried out over the next few months and, depending on the results, building could start in Spring or Summer 2009.
Cllr Rosemarie Parsons, Somerset County Councillor for Highbridge and Burnham, said: “Today’s announcement is fantastic news. I know just how important this issue has been to Burnham’s residents and there has been a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to achieve this successful outcome.”
The news was also welcomed by Bob Filmer, district councillor, and Alan Ham, the local County Councillor, who have been part of a team that has been working for many years to keep the project moving forward.
“It was Sedgemoor that managed to secure the necessary funds from a developer in order to make the completion of the road possible. It is great to see that after working together for so long we have managed to finally get this positive outcome – another thing to celebrate on St George’s Day,” Bob told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
The team consisted of County Councillors Alan Ham, Rose Parsons and Mike Facey, plus officers from the County Council and from Sedgemoor District Council, in addition to Cllr Filmer as district ward councillor and Sedgemoor Portfolio holder for transport and, subsequently, Cllr Andrew Gilling.
Cllr Tony Shire, Portfolio-Holder for the county council’s highways department, added: “The completion of the road is vital for improving access for residents to local amenities. I am delighted that the Executive Board agreed today’s proposal to proceed with the work.”
Our photo shows the northern end of the half-completed Frank Foley Parkway in Burnham-On-Sea
