Our goal is the address the voiced aspirations of residents and visitors of Axbridge to see the speed of motor vehicles going through the town reduced and the creation of more pedestrian friendly streetscape.

The Streets of Axbridge has been an active project over the last couple of decades. Read below a summary of our project’s journey and where we are now.

In 2008, following community consultation, we commissioned an appraisal of the streetscape and parking in Axbridge called Streets and Parking Improvement Plan for Axbridge which highlighted that residents were concerned for their safety from traffic in and around the Town. The report set out a series of proposals to help address the situation which although positively received by the Axbridge Action Group and many residents, did not come to fruition at this stage.

In 2013 we invited the UK charity, Living Streets, to carry out a Streets Audit which concluded that Axbridge Streets invite drivers to drive fast and a series of proposals were presented to make the streets more inviting and accessible to active travel.

In 2014 the Axbridge Action Group, as a part of the Axbridge Community Partnership (which also included the Chamber of Commerce, Town Council, Town Trust, Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council) agreed upon the Streets of Axbridge project with a Mission Statement ‘To improve Axbridge by making its Streets more pedestrian friendly and slowing the transit of vehicles through it’.  We agreed upon a ‘Community Zone Statement’ which specified what are the features of the town environment that we want to see developed. (See end of this report for details about the content of the Community Zone Statement) Arising out of this, in 2015, a successful bid was made by the Action Group to the National Lottery which resulted in a project that led to the reconfiguration of parking spaces, planters, cycle racks and street furniture in the Town Square, along with an extensive process of community consultation and engagement. We viewed this project as a launch point to develop more precise specification for achieving our ambitions.
(See more information about this 2014 project at www.streetsofaxbridge.org.uk )

In 2016 the process for the Axbridge Neighbourhood Plan was started and the Action Group postponed developments whilst awaiting the roll out of The Plan. This was submitted to Sedgemoor District Council in 2020 and is now approved and available to view.

In 2021 the Action Group secured funding and then appointed PJA – transport planning Engineering consultants – to undertake the next stage of the Streets of Axbridge project with a Traffic Management Study.  PJA submitted their report in February 2022.  (View document) This study provided us with comprehensive transport planning and traffic engineering advice in relation to our aspirations for improved active travel connectivity throughout Axbridge with a focus on improving pedestrian streetscapes. The Study was applauded and recognised by The Active Travel Team of Somerset Council as a valid and comprehensive piece of work that other towns have wanted to use as an example of excellence.   

In 2013 we developed a proposal – in collaboration with the Town Council – for a second stage project from PJA to undertake a community engagement and streetscape design specifications project.  This was intended to use their Traffic Management Study as an initial point of reference to enable a community engagement and consultation process and subsequent development of more precise specifications for streetscape design. (View document).

This second stage of their project was seen as crucial for the ongoing progression of the Streets of Axbridge project and as the best avenue to ensure we could realise the voiced aspiration of Axbridge residents over many decades.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the funding for this community engagement and streetscape design specifications project.  

We now ask if people from different parts of the community, want to engage in a collaboration to see how we can forward the ambitions of the Streets of Axbridge Project.  Please do contact us if you want to know more.

In addition, we want to re-present to the town the Streets of Axbridge Community Zone statements.  We propose that this is used as a tool for assessing and measuring how far our streetscape places and our plans for our streetscape places, fit with the expectations of the Streets of Axbridge Community Zone statements. 

The Axbridge Community Zone is an area where there are:

• public spaces between buildings that are designed to allow people and vehicles to share them on equal terms;
• maintenance of a low risk of accident and injury on roads by ensuring vehicle speeds are limited to 20 mph or less by design;
• the creation of a visually attractive environment with a distinctive sense of place and identity;
• streets, lanes and the Square designed to ensure that the quality of life of people using the spaces takes precedence over ease of vehicle movement;
• well-connected network of public spaces which will encourage walking and cycling and reduced social isolation, by making it easier for elderly people, young children and those with mobility problems to use the streets.
• public spaces that are designed and equipped to support community activities and can include communal areas that support community activity in areas that cars would otherwise dominate.

If you would like to know more, please do contact us

Peter Harding Email:  pete.axbridge@gmail.com

Mike Anderson Email:  mike.anderson@hale-events.com

From the Streets of Axbridge Steering Group
An Axbridge Action Group Project