FUNDING generated from new housing developments in and around Bridgwater cannot be used to repair the iconic Willow Man sculpture near the M5, Somerset Council has stated.

The Willow Man was created in 2000 by Serena de la Hey, a Kenyan-British sculptor, and stands near junction 23 of the M5, which serves the northern part of Bridgwater and the neighbouring villages.

The 12-metre-tall sculpture has fallen into disrepair in recent years, with National Highways (which maintains the M5) providing £35,000 in November 2023 for a study to explore how the Willow Man may be either repaired or replaced with a new artwork.

Somerset Council confirmed to ITV News in late-September that it would cost up to £1m to replace the sculpture following the outcome of this study – money that it does not have within its tightly stretched budget.

The council has now stated that any financial contributions from new housing developments in Bridgwater (such as the numerous homes planned near the M5) cannot be allocated to reviving or replacing the Willow Man.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, portfolio holder for communities, housing revenue account, culture, equalities and diversity, confirmed the cost when the council’s executive committee met in Taunton on Monday morning (October 7).

She said: “This is an indicative outline costing provided by the artist and fabricator for the construction of a new 15-metre-high sculpture.

“It does not include the wider costs which may be necessary, including land acquisition, planning and procurement costs which might need to be incurred depending on who would take forward the delivery of any new sculpture.”

When new housing or commercial developments are approved and constructed, financial contributions for new schools, roads, parks and public art (among other things) are secured through one of two legal mechanisms – a Section 106 agreement, or the community infrastructure levy (CIL).

Section 106 funding usually has to be spent on projects either within a given development site or very close to it – for instance, delivering a new play area at a public park within walking distance of the new homes.

CIL, by contrast, can be pooled from various developments and used to fund infrastructure miles away from where the funding was sourced – for instance, on the construction of the new Orchard Grove Primary School in Taunton.

Bridgwater is expected to see significant funding from developers in the coming years, with hundreds of new homes being delivered near the M5 along with large developments either side of the A39 Quantock Road and the delivery of the new ‘gigafactory’ at the Gravity enterprise zone.

But Ms Smith-Roberts said that this funding could not be used to help the Willow Man due to the restrictions involved in the relevant legal agreements.

She said: “We have explored funding options such as Section 106 and CIL funding; however, they are generally used for infrastructure that is necessary for new development to take place and to manage the impact of new development.

“The council does not hold any Section 106 or CIL that can be used for this project.”