Clevedon's controversial 'yellow brick road' could be removed by end of 2024

Changes to Clevedon’s seafront could be reversed by the end of the year if councillors approve spending almost £500,000 to undo most of the controversial scheme.

North Somerset Council could take £153k out of its reserves to help meet the £425,000 price of undoing the most unpopular aspects of the “yellow brick road” scheme.

It saw sea view parking removed and a new cycle lane with much-derided wavy lines installed along The Beach.

Another £50k which was to be spent repairing the slipway — a project the council say is not at the implementation stage — could also be redirected to fund the changes to the road.

Other sources of funding will include another unallocated £21k from the Great Lakes project, along with section 106 money from developers and local transport plan funding.

The council executive will vote on whether to allocate the funding for the project at their meeting next week on March 27.

The road will not be completely restored, as per the recommendations of a recent review into the scheme by consultants.

However, much of the sea-facing parking will be restored, the wavy lines and two-way cycle path will be removed, and the roundabout will become a standard mini-roundabout.

The one-way system will be retained and there will be a single contraflow cycle lane.

Hannah Young, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said: “These changes support the findings of the independent review which was commissioned following concerns from residents and businesses in the town.

“We have listened to the community and the consultants and we plan to reinstate the sea facing parking, remove the two-way cycle path and move and enlarge the roundabout.”

Work could start in autumn — subject to contractor availability — with the council hoping it could be completed by the end of the year.

The original works had been funded by Active Travel England, prompting fears that undoing the work could require the cost of installing it to be paid back.

A report going before the executive confirmed that the organisation would not be seeking to claw back the costs from the council.

Nevertheless, Ms Young warned: “Funding these changes is going to be a huge challenge in our current financial climate but we are committed to completing the work as soon as possible with minimal impact on the businesses in the area.

“The council tries hard to respond to community concerns and balances the different priorities it faces across towns and parishes.

"Clevedon seafront has been a key priority for the Clevedon community. The changes proposed are a priority because they focus on safety or addressing disability access issues.

“If they are agreed by the Council’s Executive next week, I’m committed to continue to engage with local people to finalise the plans and plan implementation.”

The executive will meet at 2.30pm on March 27 in Weston-super-Mare Town Hall.

Credit: John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporting Service