ROAD CLOSURES
Damaged River Bank
The Parish Council can report that after about three years of encouragement, Somerset County Council has scheduled to begin repairs to the riverbank opposite The White Horse pub, commencing on Monday 30 July 2018 and expected to last a week. Temporary traffic lights will be installed. Surveys have shown that water erosion and the vehicle strike has meant the bank and protective railings have been dislodged.
The site was classified as ‘low risk’, which then meant that the unsightly plastic barriers and damaged railings have remained well past their welcome. Several agencies were involved including Bridges and Structures Department, Highways and the Environment Agency, one reason is that Mark Yeo is classified as a ‘Main River’. Other reasons are that the Somerset Levels and Moors have important Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), including Tealham and Tadham Moors and qualify as a Special Protection Area under a 1971 UNESCO. Although Mark village does not qualify for protection, as we are about to experience with the National Grid pylons!
Somerset County Council is obliged to follow ‘best practice’ to ensure that the project will have no detrimental effect on the local environment, in particular flood risk.