Plans to provide safe, sustainable connections between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington have received support from Sedgemoor District Council.
The council has approved a planning application for a ‘Village Enhancement Scheme’ proposed by Gravity, which will include traffic-calming measures and a new multi-use path between the two villages connecting to the Gravity site and the 37 Club.
The scheme aims to provide a safe and attractive route for walking and cycling, reduce traffic speed, and improve highway safety within the villages of Puriton and Woolavington. It will provide the first off-road route between the two villages, and to the social club.
Importantly the measures will also help to make the Gravity Link Road, which is under construction, the preferred route into Gravity from the A39, whilst providing car-free access to Gravity and 37 Club from the villages.
Claire Pearce, Director of Planning and Economic Development at Gravity comments: “It’s important to secure the support of Sedgemoor District Council for this plan to enhance the safety and sustainability of transport links to Gravity, and within the area. Improving connectivity in the locality is a priority for us.”
Paul Lowndes, Programme Director at Gravity, comments: “The new pathway will create a much-needed, safe connection for walking and cycling between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington, and to the 37 Club.”
Gill Slocombe, Deputy Leader Sedgemoor District Council, adds: “Sedgemoor District Council is pleased to approve the Village Enhancement Scheme for Puriton and Woolavington. The whole community stands to benefit from the improved and safer connections, and the new car-free route.”
Gravity Project DocumentsThe multi-use path is one of several measures aimed at improving safe and sustainable transport connections in, and around, the two villages as part of Gravity’s ‘Clean and Inclusive’ growth strategy. It will be constructed using materials recycled from the Gravity site where possible, and new native trees will be planted along the route to further enhance the area. The path will be lit at night, and dog waste and litter bins will also be incorporated.
Gravity’s approach to the Village Enhancement Scheme reflects a key principle of the plan for the 616-acre Enterprise Zone to ensure that the Gravity site and the surrounding area is a well-connected place that supports sustainable transport.
Improving connections between Puriton and Woolavington also underlines Gravity’s commitment to support Villages Together – a community-driven initiative to improve the villages as places to live and work.
Gravity will now consider a phased approach to implementing the Village Enhancement Scheme, with work potentially starting in late 2021. The scheme is part of the agreement under the existing planning permission for the main Gravity site and is required to start within one year from the opening of the new link road, which is due to be completed in spring 2021.
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For more information, please contact Tori Madine at 07508 917 477 or Ben Lowndes at 07387 140 782 / firstname.surname@social.co.uk
Notes to editors
About Gravity
Gravity will be the UK’s first commercial smart campus and a blueprint for a ‘cleaner’, smarter future. It aims to attract the world’s most innovative companies working in the ‘clean growth’ sectors.
Based on the site of the former Royal Ordnance Factory, between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington, Gravity will be home to businesses making a difference socially, economically and environmentally. The aim is to drive the UK’s shift towards a zero-carbon economy, placing Sedgemoor at the centre of the clean growth revolution – benefitting local villages, the town of Bridgwater, and the wider region.
Expected to create around 4,000 jobs, the 616-acre Enterprise Zone will be designed to shape connections between people and the places they work, supporting a culture of innovation and wellbeing. It will include diverse, flexible workspaces and resilient technologies along with enhanced transport links to, and within, the surrounding area.
For further information, visit thisisgravity.co.uk
