I have long been lobbying Mendip and Somerset councils and the developers building 7 new houses at the old Mendip Lodge Hotel site at the top of Bath Road about the need for a pedestrian crossing for the new residents, as well as College pupils getting from the bus stop into school.

When the planning application was submitted, I reminded Mendip’s planners that to comply with their own policy, the new housing development needed a pedestrian crossing so that people can get in and out of the site without driving. As a result, Mendip imposed a planning requirement for a pedestrian crossing (see here).

I was shocked when the developer proposed a ‘dropped kerbs’ scheme instead, and Somerset Highways refused to require a full pedestrian crossing, so a compromise had to be found. A few months ago it was agreed that a ‘pedestrian island’ scheme (see here) will be built before the 5^th new house is occupied (see here).

With 2 of the 7 new homes now lived in, this will take a while, but I hope this will make the busy road safer for residents and pupils to cross. As your councillor, your safety is my priority, not a developer’s profits.