About the Banwell bypass

In March 2023, planning permission was granted for the long-awaited road bypass of Banwell village.

Funded through Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), the bypass will run to the north of Banwell village. It will remove traffic congestion from a pinch point on a key route between the A38 and Weston-super-Mare.

In addition to the new bypass, planning permission includes:

• new routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders - giving residents more choice over how they travel
• placemaking proposals for Banwell - to enhance its historic character and village feel
• measures to reduce environmental impacts of the bypass and its effect on nearby villages
• protection of local habitats for species of otters, badger and bats, including the creation of new ponds, woodland and wetlands to achieve a bio-diversity net gain of over 40%.

The scheme will also deliver infrastructure to enable future housing development, subject to the new Local Plan.

In January 2024, the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed the Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) needed to acquire the land to build the bypass. This means we can now start preparing to begin construction.

In March 2024, Alun Griffiths Contractors Ltd told North Somerset Council that they would no longer build the Banwell bypass. 

Despite this unexpected challenge, North Somerset Council restarted the environmental enabling works needed to build the bypass in April 2024. Council officers also held positive discussions with a new contracting firm to take on the scheme’s construction. 

In July 2024, the Director of Place will make a decision on whether to enter into a new contract with the chosen contracting firm. A paper setting out more information went to Full Council in July 2024. 

This paper will be followed by further detail about the chosen contractor when the director decision is published later in the summer. 

In the delivering the scheme, we are striving to meet eight project objectives:

1. improve the local road network to deal with existing congestion issues
2. improve and enhance Banwell’s public spaces by reducing traffic and improving the public realm
3. provide the opportunity to increase active and sustainable travel between local villages and Weston-super-Mare
4. provide infrastructure that can enable future housing development (subject to the Local Plan)
5. ensure the development respects the local area and minimises visual impact upon the surrounding countryside and Mendip Hills AONB
6. be innovative and efficient in reducing and offsetting carbon from the design and construction of the project
7. ensure the development provides the opportunity to increase bio-diversity net gain by at least 10%
8. proactively engage with stakeholders in a way that is both clear and transparent

To find out more about the Banwell bypass, please look at the additional pages in this section.