Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, joined Bloor Homes officials today (Friday) to visit the site of the recently-completed spine road which will provide access to our town’s new £20-million railway station.
Having attended the groundbreaking ceremony in March to mark the start of the road, Mr Amos returned to see the finished route, completed by Bloor Homes ahead schedule.
He was welcomed to the site by Bradley Davison, Regional Managing Director; John Parry, Senior Land Director; and Paul Cummins, Construction Director, from Bloor Homes’ Exeter team.
The road extends the existing access to the Lidl supermarket to the north-west. It will provide access to the new station, its car park, a transport interchange and a ‘station square’ public open space.
Rail services will return to Wellington more than 60 years after the original station closed in the 1960s with the new station expected to be operational by late 2028.
The spine road forms part of Bloor Homes’ Lillebonne Place development of 178 two-, three- and four-bedroom energy efficient homes on land west of Nynehead Road.
Mr Davison said: “Completing the spine road is a really important moment for this project and for Wellington.
“When Mr Amos cut the first turf in March, we were committed to delivering the road within the timescale set. We thank him for returning to see the finished route.
“This road is the gateway to the new station, and it’s the result of a concerted team effort. I’d like to thank Mr Amos for his continued support, Somerset Council for its positive collaboration, and everyone on our team and our contractors who have made it happen.
“We’re proud to be playing our part in bringing rail services back to Wellington, and we look forward to continuing our long association with the town at Lillebonne Place.”
Mr Amos added: “After the big achievement of securing government funding for the new station, it’s great progress to see the access road has already been completed and I was privileged to both cut the first sod and visit the completed road.
“Bloor Homes and its contractors deserve top marks for getting it done so quickly. I am also delighted to report that works to clear the station site of vegetation have now been completed ahead of schedule.
“It just goes to show that, when the whole community works together with the same objective, we can really get things done.”
Bloor says the new development is also bringing significant community benefits for the local area.
These include £2-million in Section 106 contributions, nine acres of open space and play facilities, two acres of employment land near the station, and walking and cycling routes along the length of the spine road and the western boundary towards the B3187 Taunton Road.
For more information about Lillebonne Place, visit bloorhomes.com
MAIN PHOTO: From left, Jason Lockyer (Site Manager), Paul Cummins (Construction Director), Bradley Davison (Regional Managing Director), Gideon Amos MP and John Parry (Senior Land Director)
BELOW: The new road (courtesy of Bloor Homes) and a shot of the “de-vegging” work on the station site (courtesy of Network Rail).
