Dunball roundabout: Funding for improvements approved

Lanes will be built through the middle of Dunball roundabout to improve traffic flow

Improvements to a roundabout described as a "blight upon development" have moved a step closer.

Sedgemoor District Council has approved borrowing up to £4.7m to spend on the Dunball roundabout which links the M5 to Bridgwater in Somerset.

The plans involve building new traffic lanes through the centre of the junction, creating a "throughabout".

Highways England had said it will not back major developments in the area until the roundabout is improved.

In January, the council announced that it wanted to borrow the £4.7m to improve Dunball roundabout to "unlock" new housing proposals and improve traffic flow between Bridgwater and the M5 via the A38.

The roundabout also provides access to local services and the Hinkley Point C park-and-ride site.

The council's executive approved the borrowing after failing to get the funds from the government's housing infrastructure fund.

With full council approval, granted unanimously on 22 February, design work can now begin.

A council graphic shows how the lanes would run through the centre of the roundabout, with the A38 running from left to right

The proposed "throughabout" involves building a new road through the centre of the roundabout, allowing traffic between the two busiest points to move straight across, freeing up space that could be filled by other drivers.

By upgrading the roundabout, the district council says it hopes to deliver 1,323 homes, including 350 affordable homes, across numerous sites, as well as the development of the Peninsular 23 commercial site on the A38.

Addressing the full council, leader Duncan McGinty said: "There is a particular blight upon development in the area at the moment due to the inadequacy of the highway network.

"This will signal our intention to unblock the area and move forward to greater economic growth."

The council has already secured some funding to pay for the initial design work, including £850,000 from the Gravity business site and £135,000 from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).