Proposals to part-pedestrianise an area of Burnham-On-Sea’s High Street have moved a step closer this week after the Town Council agreed to begin discussions with Highways bosses on scheduling the work.
The council is to hold talks with with Somerset County Council over the £100,000 scheme for a central section of the High Street.
The scheme – funded by Tesco’s development cash – will see coloured paving stones introduced along the pavement between Adam Street and Cross Street at a cost of £20,000, a new £40,000 coloured road surface along the High Street plus new finger post signs costing £10,000, and £30,000 of new street furniture. A further £100,000 has been earmarked for new street lighting in the High Street and Victoria Street.
At a meeting on Wednesday, town councillors said they want the County Council’s highways department to schedule the work for early 2014.
“The part-pedestrianisation of the High Street was approved by the Town Council back in January and we now need some movement,” Cllr Neville Jones told the meeting.
“The works must avoid the busy summer tourist season, the carnival, Christmas and Easter so that leaves just a small window in January and February to go ahead.”
“We shouldn’t need to wait for a new Town Centre Manager to be appointed – we need the discussions with the County Council now to get the work scheduled as soon as possible or it won’t be in place until early 2015 instead.”
Town Clerk Denise Emery cautioned councillors on the importance of getting all the work in the scheme completed at the same time.
“We don’t want the road and pavement work to be all complete and then to find that the County Council has to dig it all up again to install new street lighting or hanging basket columns,” she told this week’s meeting.
Cllr Michael Clarke agreed, but said that getting the work scheduled by Highways bosses is important if the work is to proceed before next summer.
The proposals are part of £440,000 of improvements approved by the Town Council earlier this year. The money comprises of cash from Tesco to offset its recent store expansion, the Town Council and compensation from the former South West Regional Development Agency.
Last month, Burnham Chamber of Trade members welcomed the news that ‘disruptive’ roadworks in the High Street will not go ahead over the busy summer tourist season, as reported here.
