OPPONENTS of a proposed permanent closure of a West Somerset coastal road have lost their campaign after Somerset Council said it would not reopen the B3191.

The road from Watchet to Blue Anchor was shut in January, 2023, after a nearby coastal cliff collapse threatened it, although it was later reopened for pedestrians and cyclists only.

Now, the council has said the closure will become permanent on Friday (October 31) despite more than 1,000 people signing a petition against it and objections from Watchet Town Council and several parish councils.

A council spokesperson acknowledged the 1,089-name petition but said only 12 responses had been received to its public consultation, nine of which were objections.

The spokesperson said: “This order can be reversed if funding is identified, so it is absolutely no impediment to attracting potential funds from central Government or housing developers.

“We will continue to explore any funding opportunities that arise.

“We have written to the Transport Secretary requesting funding and have worked to ensure the need for a scheme is included in the transport strategy for the region.

“We have also provided funding and support to enable the Watchet Task Force to be set up, and in turn help fund promotion of businesses and the town.”

West Somerset MP Rachel Gilmour told a Watchet council meeting on Thursday she believed Somerset Council would never be able to afford a reopening.

Mrs Gilmour said: “Labour will never have the money in their pocket.

“The only way to rebuild is to look for private investment, and that is forthcoming from the lagoon project.”

A Minehead lagoon tidal energy project is being promoted by a team led by Professor Chris Binnie, from Wootton Courtenay.

Mrs Gilmour said the project’s ‘community investment’ fund would be able to cover the cost of moving the B3191 inland.

The town council accepted a temporary closure was necessary while there remained a threat of subsidence but wanted the unitary authority to evaluate the impact of a permanent closure on Watchet and surrounding parishes and to complete a cost-benefit evaluation of alternative routes.

Cllr John Irven said the county authority process was flawed as it had not carried out due diligence.

He said alternative options included a toll road or re-routing the road as it entered Watchet from the west, although it could cost £70 million to cross the West Somerset Railway line and the Washford River.

Cllr Irven said it looked as if Somerset would pass the blame for the closure on to the Government for not having enough funds.

The closure announcement came in a week when a crash in Washford blocked the A39 for most of a day and led to gridlock on minor roads in the area as traffic tried to find a way around the incident in the absence of the B3191 which would have been a designated diversion route.

A regional transport board bringing together councillors from Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset has identified reopening the B3191 as strategically important, but put the cost at £20 to £50 million.