This event has been organised by your Parish Council so that you can comment on the range of measures that we are considering taking.

The background to this is our Neighbourhood Plan, which is in force and covers the period from 2015 – 2028.  This was put in place following meetings, questionnaires and other consultations.

The plan commits the Parish Council to try to “provide further recreational open space, foot and cycle path provision which will promote health and wellbeing and reduce the need to travel by car”.  

It says also that we should “seek to deliver sustainable transport infrastructure to alleviate traffic congestion and road safety issues which have the potential, unless suitably mitigated, to be exacerbated by future residential development in Bishops Lydeard”.

We subsequently consulted again in 2019.  The sort of changes which were heavily supported included:

• Improved Cycle Routes
• Improved footpaths
• Cycle path connection to Taunton
• Implementation of 20mph speed limit
• Provision of more parking in the village, where this doesn’t conflict with our wider aims

We are fortunate in that because we have a Neighbourhood Plan in place, we are entitled to receive 25% of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which is in effect the developer contribution paid where housing is sold for profit.  If we did not have a Neighbourhood Plan we would only have received 15%.  We have received hundreds of thousands of pounds in CIL, mainly as a result of the David Wilson Homes development.  Substantial grants have been made, among others, to the Village Hall and to the Cricket Club on Watts Lane.  But we are looking to fund a range of improvements from our outstanding CIL monies.

The attached questionnaire gives an outline of the sort of steps that our consultants have suggested.  They are attending the event to give an explanation of the steps being considered.

Although we are committed to moving in the direction mandated by the Neighbourhood Plan this consultation gives you an opportunity to see how these proposals might look in practice and to let your views be known.

This is a once in a generation opportunity to make your village a pleasanter place to live.


Clive Martin
Chair, Bishops Lydeard and Cothelstone Parish Council