The Somersetshire Coal Canal Society are rejoicing after its project to restore Terminus Bridge received the backing of local residents and Paulton Parish Council. As part of their Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) requirements, the Parish Council decided to hold a consultation so that residents could decide how best to spend the money.

The Clerk of Paulton Parish Council, Carol Hall, said: “We asked our Councillors to speak with local residents and come back to a meeting of the Parish Council to put forward ideas. From a long list of suggestions, Councillors then voted to come up with a shortlist of projects.”

Since then, residents have had the opportunity to vote on which of the projects they would like the CIL monies to fund with the Coal Canal coming out as the clear winner.

Over 75% of the Paulton residents who voted decided to back the Terminus Bridge project, which will also see the extension of the canal to its stop plank at Radford Mill. Carol continued: “As a

result of the consultation, it was resolved at a meeting of the Parish Council to fund Project 1 and since that meeting, the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society have been informed and we will keep residents updated with progress of the development.”

Members of the society have expressed their gratitude to the Parish Council, with Work Party Organiser, Mark Sherrey, saying: “Receiving the support of local residents means the world to us, as we are a society run entirely by volunteers.

“Securing this funding means we can really start to progress our long-term plan of action for the canal.

“We have long been aware that we would eventually need to install a new bridge on the site of the old Terminus Bridge, just East of Paulton Basin, in order to restore an uninterrupted length of canal down to the stop plank.”

B&NES Labour Councillor for Paulton and local Parish Councillor, Grant Johnson, was the original proposer of the project. He said:

“I was so pleased to propose the restoration of Terminus bridge when the Parish Council was initially looking for projects to spend the CIL monies on.

“It’s so important for us to remember where we have come from as a community and for future generations to understand how the industrial revolution helped shape the area we live in.

“There is often very little opportunity to bring back what has been so sadly lost, but with the Somersetshire Coal Canal and the restoration of terminus bridge, we have that opportunity.

“People often think of progress as replacing what came before, but I’m a firm believer that the things that made us matter and we have a moral obligation to do all we can to save it.”

Fellow B&NES Labour Councillor, Liz Hardman, added: “The coal canal has really captured the hearts of residents across the area during the pandemic.

“It has a quiet historical beauty that is quite different to anywhere else in Bath and North East Somerset. I think residents have backed it because they have got so much out of it themselves over the last few months.”

Mark Sherrey added: “We have once again started our Working Parties at Paulton Basin and I would encourage residents of any ability to come down and get involved on a Sunday afternoon. Please go to our website for further details of when they will be taking place.”

For further details regarding the Working Parties or to join the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society, go to: https://www.coalcanal.org/ or follow them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/255247428606/