A SOMERSET MP has asked the newly-appointed transport secretary to urgently provide funding to reopen a crucial coastal road in her constituency.

The B3191 Cleeve Hill, which links Watchet to the neighbouring village of Blue Anchor, has been closed to motor vehicles since January 2023 due to fears of coastal erosion.

The road reopened to pedestrians and cyclists shortly before Easter this year, but Somerset Council confirmed that it could not viably reopen the road to cars, motorcycles and lorries without a “major intervention”.

Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour has now urged the new transport secretary Heidi Alexander MP to provide funding to realign the road inland, reconnecting these communities and ending the long-term hit to Watchet’s businesses.

Ms Alexander – who represents the Swindon South constituency – was appointed to her current role on Friday, November 29, following the resignation of her predecessor, Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh.

Ms Gilmour made her plea via a written question, asking whether she would “allocate funding to rebuild the B3191 between Watchet and Blue Anchor” while making reference to funding commitments within the budget announced on October 30.

The budget included a promise to invest an extra £500m in the 2025/26 financial year on “local roads maintenance”, on top of £1.6m to “maintain and renew the nation’s roads”.

Ms Gilmour said: “This road is a crucial link in west Somerset, and I hope that the government will be able to see the benefits that a rebuild would bring to the area.

“Improving transport links across the constituency is one of my key missions.

“If we are going to tackle the issue of social mobility in west Somerset, improving transport connections is the crucial next step in increasing the number of opportunities for residents.”

The council estimated in March 2023 that it would cost between £30m and £60m to realign the Cleeve Hill section of the road inland.

The Cleeve Hill Development Group put forward plans to deliver this as part of a development of 136 homes, but these were refused by Somerset West and Taunton Council on two separate occasions, the most recent being in January 2023.

The Blue Anchor end of the B3191 has been protected from additional coastal erosion through a £3.5m coastal defence scheme, with granite rock armour being installed below the Anchor’s Drop pub between May and November 2023.

The Environment Agency’s Wessex flood and coastal committee previously committed £1.5m towards coastal defence works in the Watchet area – funding which remains available.

But while the EA confirmed in December 2023 that there are no time restrictions on spending this funding, Somerset Council has stated that it is ring-fenced to work on protecting the coast and therefore could not go directly towards a new road.

A response from Ms Alexander or one of her junior ministers is expected to be provided before Christmas.