Author: Peter Major

Somerset Council have published two proposals for Traffic Restriction Orders (TROs) on the A39 next to the West Bridgwater housing developments. Both are subject to a period of public consultation, from 16 July to 5 August 2024. The effects of these TROs would be to:

• extend the existing 30mph speed limit westwards by 510 metres (reference ET10062024)
• prohibit U-turns at the light-controlled junction providing access to the housing developments (reference ET04062024)
• prohibit right turns onto the A39 from the secondary access to the Cokerhurst Farm development (reference ET04062024)

The official notices (in the form of PDF documents) can be viewed by following the links from the reference numbers above. The lengths of road affected are shown in the plans on the left (click to open an enlarged version in a new window).

Any person wishing to make representations or to object to the proposed TRO(s) should send a statement in writing of their representations or objection and state the grounds on which it is made to Somerset Council, via email to TROinbox@somerset.gov.uk quoting the relevant reference number, before 5th August.

County Councillor Mike Caswell has asked us to remind you that road surface problems, including potholes, should be reported directly to Somerset Council. You should do so by using the Report a Problem on the Road page on Somerset’s website. This link can also be found on the home page of our website, together with links to other Somerset services.

The more reports that are received about an issue the more likely it is that action will be taken.

Wembdon Parish Council have organised another training session in the use of defibrilators, provided by the South Western Ambulance Service. This will take place on Thursday 11th July at 6pm in the Parish Centre, Church Road.

Everybody is welcome to come – no booking needed – just turn up. No previous knowledge is needed, but if you have been to a previous training session, this will be a chance for a refresher.

There are three defibrilators in Wembdon Village: outside the Parish Centre, outside the Cottage Inn, and outside the Village Hall.

Openreach are planning to replace a telegraph pole on Wembdon Hill, which will require the road to be closed between the junctions with Wembdon Orchard and Hollow Lane for the duration of the work. The closure is expected to start at 09:30, and to last for a maximum of 6 hours.

Full details can be found in the official notice of closure.

Residents in the affected section should still be able to access their properties, and a pedestrian route will be kept open through the work area.

For further information about the works being carried out please contact Sunbelt Rentals on telephone number 0370 050 0792 quoting reference number ttro261543N.

The latest edition of the Parish Paper has arrived from the printers, and a copy will be delivered to all the households in Wembdon in the next few days.

If you think you should have a copy, and haven’t received it by the end of May, please contact our clerk with your name, address and phone number, and he will sort it out for you.

As usual, there will be some spare copies available at Wembdon Village Hall, the Parish Centre, the Cottage Inn and Greenway Garage. Or you can read it online.

Openreach are planning to replace a telegraph pole on Wembdon Hill, which will require the road to be closed between the junctions with Wembdon Orchard and Hollow Lane for the duration of the work. The closure is expected to start at 09:30, and to last for a maximum of 6 hours.

Full details can be found in the official notice of closure.

Residents in the affected section should still be able to access their properties, and a pedestrian route will be kept open through the work area.

For further information about the works being carried out please contact Sunbelt Rentals on telephone number 0370 050 0792 quoting reference number ttro261543N.

Flood Wessex (part of the Environment Agency) have written to us:

“It has been an exceptionally wet autumn and winter in Somerset. Between October and February, catchments such as the Axe and the Brue have seen their wettest period on record, and the whole county has been affected by extreme rainfall events. Hundreds of properties have been flooded in dozens of communities, either from surface water, groundwater or fluvial flooding.

“Together with our partners, Somerset Council and the Environment Agency have been working closely together to respond to flooding when it occurs, and to support communities to recover. As climate change makes wetter winters and extreme weather events more likely, community resilience is more important than ever, and we will continue to support communities to be as prepared as they can be for flooding.”

They have produced two new guides: a flood action guide with preparedness information, and a recovery guide for those recently affected by flooding.

Reporting flooding

We have added some links to the home page of our website, and further information can be found on our Reporting Flooding page.

Funding and Grants

• The Government’s Flood Recovery Framework is used in exceptional circumstances to support councils and communities following severe flooding. This has been activated for the areas most affected by Storm Henk. Somerset Council have opened applications from residents or businesses who have been affected by flooding between 2 – 12 January. The closing date for applications is 29th March for Community Recovery Grants, or 31st March for Council Tax Discounts, Business Rates Discounts and Business Recovery Grants. Flood Recovery from Storm Henk (somerset.gov.uk)
• Households that were flooded between 2-12 January may also be able to apply for up to £5,000 to install Property Flood Resilience measures as part of flood repairs, and farms that have suffered uninsurable damage from Storm Henk may be able to apply for grants up to £25,000. Applications are not yet open for these schemes.
• Somerset Prepared provide grants of up to £5,000 for communities to purchase equipment that will help them to better respond to emergencies. For more information, please visit https://www.somersetprepared.org.uk/get-support/funding-support
• There are also grants available through a Wessex Water scheme: https://www.wessexwater.co.uk/visit-and-learn/funding

(Information supplied by the Environment Agency)