Latest section of Frome active travel route opens to public

The Frome Missing Links project aims to deliver a new multi-user path from Welshmill Lane, just north of the town centre, to the Colliers Way cycle path in the neighbouring parish of Great Elm.

Two sections of this northern ‘missing link’ have been in place for several years, using funding from the now-defunct Mendip District Council, external grants and donations from volunteers.

Now, a further section of the path has opened to pedestrians and cyclists, bringing the dream of an unbroken ‘Somerset Circle’ cycle route one step closer to reality.

Once completed, the Somerset Circle will form a 76-mile traffic-free circuit linking Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels.

The Frome Missing Links will eventually join up with the Colliers Way in Great Elm as an offshoot to the circle, making it much easier to travel to Midsomer Norton and Radstock.

The northern ‘missing link’ has been divided into four phases, of which three have now been largely delivered.

Phase one, which was opened in February 2015, runs north from Welshmill Lane for 950 metres, skirting around the Rossett House care home and the town’s waste water treatment plant and following the River Frome into Whatcombe Fields.

This section – which cost £115 per metre to deliver – was funded by Mendip District Council’s local legacy fund, with contributions from Frome Town Council, Aster Housing and Sustrans.

Phase two, which was finished in December 2018, runs from the link with the Colliers Way in Great Elm to Elliots Lane in the neighbouring village of Hapsford.

While this 1.3km section route is navigable for pedestrians, the surface is “not really suitable” for horses, bicycles, scooters or wheelchairs due to its “loose and uneven surfacing”, made of old railway ballast.

This section will be resurfaced up to the standards of phase one when sufficient funding becomes available – hopefully early in 2024.

The newest section of the northern ‘missing link’ (dubbed Phase 3) runs from Whatcombe Fields along the river to just south of the railway line.

This latest stretch was made possible from a grant of £30,000 from Mendip District Council’s community fund in early-January 2022.

Richard and Helen at the end of phase 3 of the Frome Missing Links. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Richard Aykroyd, chairman of Frome Missing Links, said the link was intended to form part of a wider push to encourage walking and cycling across the town.

He said: “We’d like a network on these sorts of paths in Frome to connect with businesses, to connect with leisure facilities, and to give people the ability to walk their dogs or go for a stroll without having to cross roads all the time.

“To reach the Colliers Way link, around two-and-a-half miles away, you’d have to travel on some pretty busy roads and some big hills – so we’re trying to get rid of that.

“To the south of Frome, we want a link to Longleat, because at the moment you’ve got to cross a very, very busy road [the A361].

“Our contractors Connor Construction, with the help of Missing Link volunteers and hauliers Aggregate Industries, have done a super job despite wet and muddy conditions throughout.

“The result is a top quality, Tarmac path for use by people of all ages and abilities. In total, it’s now possible to walk, cycle or ride from the Cheese and Grain to the end of the path and back – an impressive four kilometres or so of traffic-free travel.”

While the surface of the ‘missing links’ is built up to full Department for Transport (DfT) standards, the route as a whole has been embellished by different groups of volunteers or the adjoining landowners, adding character to the area.

The initial stretch off Welshmill Lane includes railings made out of a reclaimed footbridge and large flowerbeds maintained by the neighbouring residents.

Mr Aykroyd said: “We try and reuse materials, making use of things as we come across them and either turning them into artworks or useful objects like seats and chairs.

“We try hard to involve the community in that. Sometimes it would be more efficient to pay a contractor, but it’s much better to involve people because they take ownership of the project.”

Helen Johnstone, one of the other trustees, added: “One of the best things about this is that youngsters of any age can come and have a ride out.

“We’ve now got nearly two kilometres of path, which is long enough to lean to ride a bike and build up their strength for longer rides.

“If we get this completed, it will mean that the older kids can start to travel out themselves, take a bit of independence, and yet still be safe since they’re not on the roads.”

Shortly before its abolition, Mendip District Council ruled that any new cycle paths could be achieved through permitted development rules, rather than having to secure formal planning permission – a process which can be costly and take long periods of time.

By negotiating directly with landowners and using local contractors, numerous active travel projects in the former Mendip area have been able to make significant progress – including the Frome missing links, the new sections of the Strawberry Line in Shepton Mallet, and the Windsor Hill tunnels route in the same town.

Mr Aykroyd said: “In the future, it means that it will be much easier to get these things done, if the money’s there.

“Looking nationally, we spend billions of pounds on roads – fair enough, we all drive cars. But we spend less than one per cent of that on projects like this.

“We’ve added about 600 metres in the latest phase for around £32,000. Add in a bit of expense on fencing and planting trees, and it’s closer to £35,000 – about half the price it would cost if we were doing it commercially.”

The entrance to the active travel route on Welshmill Lane in Frome. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Large numbers of trees have been planted along the latest phase of the route, with many being provided by the Woodland Trust – include a new swathe of poplar and willow trees not far from the river.

Frome Missing Links has its own group of volunteers, known as the Friday Club, which come out to maintain the route and plant new trees and shrubs.

To encourage more people to cycle around the town, Frome Missing Links has partnered with the Frome Community Bike Project, a local community interest company.

The company recently secured planning permission for a new bike hub near Frome railway station, making it easier for residents and visitors to hire bikes to explore the town, as well as repairing their own bikes.

People can access the missing links using the existing cycle paths from the station, which run north of the Saxonvale regeneration site and past the Cheese and Grain up to Welshmill Lane.

Ms Johnstone said: “We’ve always had really good support from the people of Frome when you build something like this, which is used for years and years.

“When we were here to build the final section, people were down here from 8am – that’s the peak time for runners. We get lots of dog walkers and young families.”

Phase four will link phases two and three together near the railway line, with the Frome Missing Links trustees currently negotiating with Network Rail and the nearby Cooper Hall venue to secure access to close the remaining 1.5 kilometre gap.

Somerset Council recently secured £1.5m from the government’s active travel fund to pay for further cycling infrastructure – but officers have yet to confirm whether any of this will be allocated in Frome.

Mr Aykroyd said: “This is a long-term thing. If an opportunity arises, with a little pot of money or some permission, we build a little bit of path.

“We’ve got 150 metres of path out at Coalash Lane, which is a footpath, but the cycle path doesn’t connect to anywhere – yet. That’s ‘money in the bank’ for such a time as we can connect it up.

“A lot of housing developments don’t provide enough money for these projects in their Section 106 agreements, and it’s tied up so tightly that it’s almost impossible to spend. That’s something that needs to be looked at closely.

“None of this comes easily. Many hours of research and work goes into everything that we do and almost all of it is done on a voluntary basis.

“While we re-use as much material as we possibly can, we do need more money to make this happen. We are extremely grateful to members of the public who continue to contribute in so many ways”.

For more information on Frome Missing Links, including how to donate or volunteer, visit www.fromesmissinglinks.org.uk or email mail@fromesmissinglinks.org.uk. For further details about the Frome Community Bike Project, visit www.fromebikeproject.org.