Weekday closure of walking and cycle route during cable laying

We are carrying out work to upgrade electricity supplies in North Somerset which requires the temporary closure of part of the Strawberry Line to walkers and cyclists over the next couple of weeks.

New high voltage underground cable is being laid to reinforce our network and meet the supply needs of a large company in Sandford.

The excavation will affect 600 metres of the Strawberry Line, a 30-mile long traffic-free route running between Yatton and Cheddar.

There will be two affected sections. One is near St Monica Trust’s Sandford Station Retirement Village, exiting onto the A368. It is planned for this section to close from Monday 28 November to Friday 9 December and reopen temporarily over the weekend of Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 December. (See map).

To mitigate against the inconvenience of the closure, we are also undertaking work to improve part of the line near the retirement village that’s prone to flooding. Levels will be raised and drainage installed.

The other affected section of the line is at Winscombe, heading north from a substation near Homefield Close to the passageway between houses on The Grove. People will be able to access this section, apart from one day when the cable laying is carried out.

We are working in partnership with North Somerset Council to make sure clear diversions are in place while the work is being completed. Cyclists will be able to go along Ilex Lane onto Sandford Road, Hill Road and onto the A368. Walkers will be able to take a path that runs parallel to the Strawberry Line and emerges onto Roman Road. (See map).

Most of the excavation for the cable trench will be across manmade surfaces. In the areas where vegetation and trees are present, including young ash trees, National Grid will remove and replace with oak, field maple, hawthorn and hazel trees.