Sedgemoor District Council has unveiled ambitious plans to improve Cheddar by putting in a bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The plans including making the village and Gorge well connected and welcoming for everyone who spends time in Cheddar; support businesses and create more opportunities for people who live and work there.
The council has put together a short survey, listing the ideas that have already come forward such as new transport hubs, attractive public spaces and ways to make it easier to visit and spend time in Cheddar.
The survey runs until 30 June and can be found here online here: Improve Cheddar Gorge
The initial ideas were recently presented to the Cheddar Vision Group – a local stakeholder organisation which works to identify opportunities for investment to regenerate the economy of Cheddar.
There will also be leaflet in and around Cheddar to explain the proposals with the following aims
- Create an improved destination for visitors, with attractive public spaces
- Enable alternatives to car use, including park and ride, cycling and walking routes
- Improve pedestrian footways within Cheddar Gorge, slow traffic speeds and tackle anti-social behaviour.
Potential areas already identified for consideration include:
- Exploring the creation of a transport hub at Cliff Street/Tweentown car park, with better pedestrian links to the gorge, improved cycle parking, electric vehicle charging and improved bus stops, as well as visitor information.
- Examining opportunities for improved pedestrian routes, electric vehicle charging and cycle parking throughout the gorge, as well as improving interfaces with other pedestrian routes such as the Mendip Way.
- Introducing traffic calming measures to slow traffic speeds and prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, as part of improvements to pavements in the gorge.
- Identifying opportunities to declutter streetscapes and provide consistent street furniture (for benches, bins, signs, bollards) and will produce a better link between Cheddar Gorge Car Park and other areas.
Sedgemoor District Council’s Portfolio-Holder for Inward Investment and Growth, Gill Slocombe, says: “Cheddar is a great place to live, work and visit, but we want it to be the very best that it can be.”
“That is why we have been looking at how long and short term improvements like creating new transport hubs, enhancing public spaces could make visiting and spend time locally easier and more enjoyable.”
“Making Cheddar more attractive and encouraging visitors would benefit the local economy and support businesses, creating more opportunities for people who live and work in the area.”
For further information, or to respond to the survey via email, contact the council’s consultation project partners, Distinctive, on cheddar@distinctivecomms.co.uk
