North Somerset Council has been successful in a £97m bid to Government to provide essential infrastructure for future housing.

The funding will be used for transport and education infrastructure improvements to serve the Weston Villages and to unlock potential housing sites near Banwell that will help meet the need for new homes in North Somerset over the next 15 years.

The infrastructure needed includes:

• 900 new secondary school places at Locking Parklands
• A new road to bypass the village of Banwell
• Improvements to the local roads and paths in and around Banwell

Liberal Democrat Cllr Robert Payne said: “This major Government investment in North Somerset is great news for our area.

“We want to make sure our children and grandchildren are able to stay living locally in the coming decades and this money, which will allow housing development sites to be unlocked, will help us make sure we have enough local homes for local people in the future.

“But we cannot build these houses without the supporting infrastructure in place to create thriving communities. This investment in education and our roads is critical.

“It will also bring the much-needed bypass around the village of Banwell, improving the vital link between North Somerset and Bristol, which will have a hugely positive impact on residents’ access to jobs, and the area’s economy.

“We have already been working with communities in and around the Weston villages and Banwell to develop these proposals. We will continue to consult as plans are developed.”

The Housing Infrastructure Fund awards money to councils looking to build supporting infrastructure to unlock land to build new homes. Potential sites near Banwell are not possible without this critical transport and education infrastructure, and it is also vital to the ongoing development of the Weston villages.

Detailed plans will now be drawn up with the aim of releasing designs for public consultation in 2020.

The infrastructure should be in place by 2024.

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