A358 Taunton to Southfields

Latest updates

• 01 June 2023

  Project update and supplementary consultation feedback booklet available

  In his Written Ministerial Statement of 09 March 2023, the Secretary of State Mark Harper advised that Road Investment Strategy (RIS) 2 schemes will continue to progress. The A358 is one of the RIS2 schemes currently in its planning phase.

  National Highways will continue to work with HM Treasury officials and Ministers closely to fulfil the necessary governance arrangements. As we progress through the governance process, and expect to have a clearer indication on the Development Consent Order (DCO) application submission date.

  In the interim, we have published our ‘Supplementary consultation – summary of your feedback’ booklet.

  This booklet explains how we delivered the supplementary consultation, which ran from 24 May to 26 June 2022, and provides a summary of the feedback we received.

  Our DCO application will include a Consultation Report, which will summarise all the feedback and our response from both the 2021 and 2022 consultations.

  We remain confident that our proposed scheme presents the best solution to the ongoing issues along the A358 and as part of the wider A303/A358 corridor.

  We will continue to keep you informed of the project’s progress.

• 21 December 2022

  DCO submission update

  With the support of government, National Highways has taken the decision to pause the Development Consent Order application while we support a review into the appropriateness of the environmental mitigations proposed for the project. This will move the submission date into 2023.

  As a reminder, you can stay up to date with project news by signing up to our newsletter. 

• 06 December 2022

  Survey work update

  Our project team has wrapped up survey activity for the year. These surveys are an essential part of any major road project. They help us to understand the local area so we can look for ways to avoid or reduce negative effects on the local environment where possible. 

  Over the autumn, we have: 

  • completed our archaeological surveys. For this survey work, we dug trenches across different areas to look for any archeological finds to help our understanding of the area. We surveyed more than 750 trial trenches over nine months, working alongside South West Heritage Trust and Historic England.    
  • carried out our final bat surveys for 2022. For these surveys, we used special equipment, including bat detectors, to find out more about the bats’ habitats and what species live on the A358 route.    
  • started looking at when we can close or cap (decommission) our long-term monitoring boreholes. These are holes in the ground that we have used to find out more about ground conditions, water levels and stability. Our work to decommission the first batch is well underway. We've started to decommission some of these and will continue with this next year. 

  We’re committed to protecting the natural environment that surrounds our roads. It’s been a lot of work to complete all this survey work, involving a lot of people. Thank you to everyone who’s helped us and cooperated with us while this work took place. Details of our surveys and how they have influenced proposals will be included in our Development Consent Order application. 

  

• 11 November 2022

  Upgrading the A358 - Somerset Stories

  The South West’s economy is under-performing compared to the rest of the UK. Local councils and business leaders agree that upgrading the rest of the A303/A358 corridor to dual carriageway would help improve the South West’s connections to neighbouring regions.

  Over the past few months, we’ve been releasing a series of videos about the benefits the upgraded A358 would bring. Our final video of the series - A358 Somerset stories - summarises views from previous videos. You’ll hear from a local hotel business, Peninsula Transport, Visit Somerset, Somerset Chamber of Commerce, the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership and a local Parish Council who outline how important the A358 upgrade is.  

  They talk about different benefits of the scheme, such as creating opportunities for local businesses and for regional growth, the importance of tourism and the ‘visitor economy’, and how reducing congestion will improve local air quality. 

  Did you know that one in every two jobs is reliant on tourism in some parts of Somerset? Or that Henlade has some of the worst air pollution in Somerset, caused by frequent congestion on the current A358. Or how many different types of businesses rely on the A358 to operate their businesses effectively?

   

  “The A358 is a key part of our transport infrastructure that if improved, would make a huge difference to the economic and health and wellbeing of every resident in Devon, Cornwall, Plymouth, Torbay and Somerset.”

  Andrea Davis, Peninsula Transport

   

  “This A358 scheme would give us so many benefits, it’s just unbelievable. We’d have better air quality, better quality of life. We need a bypass here now!” 

  Doug Lowe, a representative of Ruishton and Thornfalcon Parish Council.

   

  Watch the video to find out more about the benefits the A358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling Scheme will bring to the South West.  You can watch the individual videos by clicking on the A358 Somerset stories drop down in the 'Project information' section further down this page.

• 29 June 2022

  Supplementary consultation closes

  Supplementary Consultation closes 

  The supplementary consultation on the A358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling Scheme reached its conclusion on Sunday 26 June 2022. 

  During this consultation period we held three in-person events, which saw more than 900 people join us to talk to project experts and see the consultation material in person. We also held four webinars and hosted a virtual exhibition room.

  What happens next  

  All feedback we have received during the consultation period will be formally reviewed by the project team and compiled into a consultation report. This report will form part of our planning application for a Development Consent Order (DCO), which will be submitted later this year.

• 24 May 2022

  Supplementary consultation starts

  Consultation launches on design changes for A358 Taunton to Southfields scheme

   

  National Highways has today (24 May) launched a supplementary consultation for the upgrade of the A358 in Somerset. Go to the consultation webpage for more information.

  The planned upgrade of the A358, a key route linking the South West and London and South East, will see a single lane stretch of carriageway between the M5 at Taunton and the Southfields roundabout, upgraded to dual carriageway.

  The proposed scheme would considerably benefit road users, local communities and businesses.

  Following more than 900 responses to a public consultation in 2021, National Highways has made further refinements to the proposed route including:

  • Nexus 25 junction – change from roundabout to signalised junction to accommodate signalised pedestrianised crossing and facilitate management of traffic in conjunction with M5 junction 25
  • Mattocks Tree Green junction
    • New connection at the eastern roundabout - for direct access to Village Road and onward travel to Hatch Beauchamp
    • Realignment of Ash Road connection – removing the direct link between Ash Road and Mattocks Tree Green junction to discourage rat-running
    • West Hatch Lane extension – providing a new public road alongside the A358 to allow more direct access to Mattocks Tree Green junction
  • Bridge at Bickenhall Lane – moved to place it further from Bickenhall Wood ancient woodland and access for walkers, cyclists, horse-riders and disabled users and private farm access
  • Capland Link – confirming that the link road is our chosen option and the route of the link road adjacent to the A358
  • Jordans bridge – a new link and bridge over the A358 between Ashill junction and Southfields roundabout for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders and disabled users and private farm access

  We now want your views on these design changes.

• 13 May 2022

  Supplementary consultation on design changes

  National Highways is consulting on design changes for the proposed upgrade to the A358 between Taunton and Southfields roundabout.

  The consultation will run from Tuesday 24 May until 11.59pm on Sunday 26 June 2022.

  We’re looking to upgrade approximately 8.5 miles (13.6 km) of the A358 to a high-quality and high-performing dual carriageway. Since our 2021 consultation we’ve made some changes to our preliminary design which will improve safety and access to local roads and reduce the impact on communities, the environment and the local landscape.

  The supplementary consultation starts on Tuesday 24 May and runs until Sunday 26 June and there are lots of way to have your say. Your feedback will help us develop our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO), the type of planning permission needed for the scheme. 

  When the supplementary consultation opens on 24 May you will be able to find out more about the proposals and have your say, by visiting National Highways’ online exhibition or one of our consultation events. Our project team will be on hand at our face to face events and webinars to answer your questions. 

  If you do not have access to the internet or experience problems downloading the consultation materials, National Highways can send, free of charge, one printed copy of documents including the consultation booklet, feedback questionnaire, and non-technical summary of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report, to your home. 

  You can request printed copies or a call back by emailing A358TauntontoSouthfields@nationalhighways.co.uk or calling our customer service line on 0300 123 5000. 

  How to find out more

  There are lots of ways to find out more about the design changes to the A358 Taunton to Southfield’s Dualling Scheme.  

  From 24 May you can visit the virtual consultation room by following the links on this webpage. In this virtual room you’ll find all the information you’d normally see in a physical exhibition – but with the added benefit of being able to visit at any time of the day or night. 

  You can also take part in a webinar where members of our project team will be able to answer your questions. These start on 25 May. All the details on dates and how to sign up will be on this webpage.

  If you prefer to meet our team face to face and have your say there are in-person events in Ilminster and Taunton. On 26 May the team is at Monks Yard, Horton Cross Farm, Horton Cross, Ilminster, TA19 9PY from 11am to 8pm. On 8 June members of the project team are  at Somerset County Cricket Ground, St James Street, Taunton, TA1 1JT, from 11am to 8pm. On 11 June they will be at Taunton Racecourse, Orchard Portman, Taunton, TA1 2UA from 11am to 6pm.

  Having your say in the A358 Taunton to Southfields supplementary consultation is easy 

  From 24 May you can submit a response by using one of the methods below, which are all free to use. Please note, we cannot guarantee that responses sent by any other means will be considered.  

  Online response form 

  Fill in the online questionnaire

  Freepost 

  Post your response or comments to: 

  FREEPOST A358 TAUNTON TO SOUTHFIELDS  

  The Freepost address is the only text needed on the envelope, and no stamp is required

  Email 

  Email your comments to: A358TauntontoSouthfields@nationalhighways.co.uk 

  It's important to make sure that your comments are sent before the consultation closes at 11.59pm on 26 June 2022. 

   

   

   

   

• 14 February 2022

  Consultation summary report available

  Following our Statutory Consultation, which ran from 12 October to 22 November 2021, our public consultation summary report is available.  In this report we explain the consultation methodology and outline the key themes from the public consultation. It also gives details of what will happen next. 

  This report is an interim document. We will be submitting the full findings of the consultation in our consultation report which forms part of our Development Consent Order application planned for later this year.

• 15 December 2021

  Post consultation survey

  Now the consultation period for the scheme has come to an end, we would like to gather feedback on the consultation process, including the events that took place both in-person and virtually.
  
  We would be grateful if you could give us a few minutes of your time to complete a short survey, which should take no longer than five minutes to complete. Any comments or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated and will help us to improve the way we run our consultations in the future.  
  
  This survey will remain open until Tuesday 4 January 2022 .

• 30 November 2021

  Consultation closes 

  Consultation on the A358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling Scheme reached its conclusion on Monday 22 November. 

  During this consultation period we held three in-person events, which saw more than 600 people join us to talk to project experts and see the consultation material in person. We also held nine webinars, hosted a virtual exhibition room and ran a series of webchats with the project team. 

  What happens next  

  All feedback we have received during the consultation period will be formally reviewed by the project team and compiled into a consultation report. This report will form part of our planning application for a Development Consent Order (DCO), which we expect to submit in 2022.

• 12 October 2021

  Our consultation is now live

  

  We're consulting on our proposals to upgrade the A358 Taunton to Southfields to dual carriageway. This will improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion and improve connectivity for road users and local communities, while unlocking economic growth in Somerset and the South west. 

  Now it’s your chance to have your say on our updated proposals.   

  The consultation runs from 12 October to 22 November 2021 - visit our consultation website to find out more about how you can get involved. 

• 28 September 2021

  Have your say: we're consulting 12 October - 22 November

  

   

  We will be consulting on our proposals to upgrade the A358 between Taunton and Southfields roundabout from 12 October to 22 November 2021. The feedback from this consultation will help us develop our application for a Development Consent Order (planning consent) that we plan to submit next year. 

  You will be able to view our consultation plans on this webpage from 12 October 2021. 

  How to find out more 

  Online exhibition  

  From the 12 October, one of the best ways to find out about our proposals will be to visit our virtual exhibition room via this webpage. Here, you will be able to learn more about the project, study detailed plans and put your questions to our team.  

  Members of our team will be available to answer your questions via a webchat function at the following times: 

  Date	Time
  Tuesday 12 October	4pm – 7pm
  Wednesday 13 October	11am – 2pm
  Friday 15 October	8am – 11am
  Friday 15 October	3pm – 6pm
  Monday 18 October	12pm – 3pm
  Wednesday 20 October	10am – 1pm
  Wednesday 20 October	6pm – 9pm
  Friday 22 October	9am – 12pm
  Friday 22 October	3pm – 6pm
  Thursday 18 November	3pm – 6pm
  Friday 19 November	9am – 12pm

   

  Outside of these times, you will be able to submit questions to our team who will get back to you via email. 

  Webinars 

  We’re hosting some themed webinars on Microsoft Teams with our project team, focusing on different topics and specialist areas. At these events, our team will give a short presentation and then take questions from attendees. You can submit your questions using the chat function, which can be used anonymously.  

  You can register for the below sessions by emailing: A358TauntontoSouthfields@highwaysengland.co.uk 

  Topic	Dates	Time
  Consulting on the A358 Taunton to Southfields dualling scheme	Thursday 14 October	12pm
  Section 1 – M5 junction 25 to Mattock’s Tree Green junction	Wednesday 20 October	5pm
  Section 2 – Mattock’s Tree Green junction to Griffin Lane	Thursday 21 October	12pm
  Section 3 – Griffin Lane to Ashill junction	Thursday 21 October	5pm
  Section 4 – Ashill junction to Southfields roundabout	Friday 22 October	5pm
  Walking, cycling and horse riding, including disabled users	Monday 1 November	3pm
  The environment	Tuesday 2 November	3pm
  Traffic modelling	Thursday 4 November	3pm
  Consulting on the A358 Taunton to Southfields Dualling Scheme	Thursday 18 November	6pm

   

  Public consultation events  

  Visit one of our face-to-face events to find out more about the proposals and chat to our team. 

   

  Location	Date	Time
  Taunton Racecourse, Orchard Portman, Taunton, TA3 7BL	Tuesday 19 October	2pm - 8pm
  Monks Yard (Conference Room), Horton Cross Farm, Horton Cross, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 9PT	Saturday 23 October	11am - 6pm
  Holiday Inn Taunton, Deane Gate Avenue, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2UA	Wednesday 3 November	11am - 6pm

  Telephone surgery 

  You can book a call back from a member of the project team who will answer your questions on the proposed changes. Call backs will be made Monday to Friday, 12pm to 7pm, between 12 October and 22 November. 

  You can request a call back by emailing: A358TauntontoSouthfields@highwaysengland.co.uk or calling 0300 123 5000. 

  Home delivery 

  If you do not have access to the internet or experience problems downloading the consultation materials, we can send you free of charge one printed copy of the consultation booklet, feedback questionnaire and non-technical summary of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report. 

  You can request printed copies by emailing A358TauntontoSouthfields@highwaysengland.co.uk or calling 0300 123 5000.

  Deposit points

  You can also visit one of the information points below to pick up a paper copy of the consultation booklet, feedback questionnaire and non-technical summary of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report. 

  ·Taunton Library, Paul Street, Taunton, TA1 3XZ ·South Petherton Library, 3 St James's Street, South Petherton, TA13 5BS ·Martock Library, North Street, Martock, TA12 6DL ·Priorswood Library, Hillside Children's Centre, Eastwick Rd, Taunton, TA2 7HD · Ilminster Library, Ditton Street, Ilminster, TA19 0BW (hard copy of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report will also be available for inspection at this location) ·Chard Library, Holyrood Street, Chard, TA20 2YA ·Somerset County Council mobile library ·Ilminster Meeting House & Arts Centre, 35 East Street, Ilminster, TA19 0AN ·Henlade Post Office, Henlade, Taunton, TA3 5DH ·Blackbrook Leisure Centre & Spa, Blackbrook Way, Taunton, TA1 2RW · Somerset West and Taunton Council, Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1HE (hard copy of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report will also be available for inspection at this location)

  How to have your say 

  From 12 October you can submit a response by using one of the methods below, which are all free to use. Please note, we cannot guarantee that responses sent by any other means will be considered.  

  Online response form 

  Fill in the online questionnaire. 

  Freepost 

  Post your response for or comments to: 

  FREEPOST A358 TAUNTON TO SOUTHFIELDS  

   The Freepost address is the only text needed on the envelope, and no stamp is required. 

  Email 

  Email your comments to: A358TauntontoSouthfields@highwaysengland.co.uk 

• 20 September 2021

  Ground investigation surveys

  

  As we develop our plans for the A358 upgrade scheme, some of our teams will be out and about around the route to complete essential surveys of the local area and environment. This includes ground investigation surveys which we use to show all sorts of information – such as buildings, roads, population numbers, height and flooding data. This information helps us to develop our plans for the scheme as carefully and accurately as possible.

  Our teams will also be working on important archaeological surveys. These help to locate historical sites or materials and allow us to make informed decisions about our proposals and the areas where we will look to carry out works in the future.

  You can read more about the different types of surveys we'll be doing in the 'Environmental' section further down this webpage.

  Site compound

  As we complete these surveys, some of our teams will be working from a small site in the area. This site compound will be located away from any residential areas and we will make sure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

  Road closures 

  To carry out the surveys safely there will be some temporary lane and local road closures. These closures will take place on weeknights only, between 8pm and 6am. We’ve provided a summary of the dates and closures below. 

  From Monday 9 – 16 August 2021 and from Monday 13 – 27 September 2021 

  We will be reducing traffic down to a single lane from Southfields roundabout heading towards Taunton. As this is a single lane closure, we will not be introducing a diversion route, we will use a  a temporary traffic lights system. Emergency access will be maintained by our traffic management contractor Alliance Highway. 

  From Wednesday 29 September – 1 October 2021  

  We will need to close some local roads which connect to the A358. We will carry out these closures one at a time and put a diversion route in place. These closures will take place on weeknights only, between 9pm and 6am Emergency access will be maintained by our traffic management contractor Alliance Highway. To find more information visit www.streetworks.org.uk/live-traffic-works-map/ where you can see an interactive map of the locations and diversions.

  If you have any questions or want to speak to a member of our team, please email us at A358TauntontoSouthfields@highwaysengland.co.uk or call us on 0300 123 5000.

• 20 May 2021

  Surveys

  We’ve now awarded a £328 million contract to Taylor Woodrow Plus to design and build the A358 Taunton to Southfields upgrade scheme. We can now update you with what this means for the scheme, what you might see happening along the route and how and when you can have your say on the plans.

  Upcoming closures

  To help us to design the route as best we can, we need to carry out surveys into the current state of the road.

  To carry out these surveys safely we will be introducing a single lane of traffic between Southfields Roundabout and Hatch Green, and an additional one between Hatch Green and Ash Cross from Monday 7 June to Friday 2 July. These closures will take place on weeknights only, between 8pm and 6am. Because this is a single lane closure, we will not be introducing diversion lanes, only a temporary traffic lights system. Emergency access will also be maintained at all times. 

  Environmental surveys

  The countryside along the route is home to some incredible plants and animals - many of which are protected by law - and we need to take steps to avoid them or reduce our impact. That’s why you may see our team out and about carrying out various surveys to look into things like:

  • Air quality
  • Cultural heritage
  • Changes to how the local scenery will look
  • Biodiversity
  • Birds
  • Reptiles
  • Great crested newts
  • Water quality sampling

  

  With these surveys and design plans well underway, we are continuing to plan for our public consultation, which we expect to take place later this year. Before that, we will be meeting regularly with local community organisations and representatives.

  This will allow us to give updates on the route and to also get important feedback which will help us to shape our final designs. We will be also be speaking to special interest groups, such as walkers, cyclists and horse riders, to make sure that our plans can cater for different road users as much as we can.

   

     

• 27 November 2020

  Early works on the scheme’s preliminary design progressing

  We are pleased to be able to confirm that the A358 scheme has now been allocated to Taylor Woodrow following a competitive tender process through the Regional Delivery Partnerships framework.

  We are now in the process of finalising the scheme contract with Taylor Woodrow, which is scheduled to be awarded early next year. Taylor Woodrow are also progressing early works on the scheme’s preliminary design.
  
  The scheme is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. This means we’ll need to make an application for a special type of planning permission called a Development Consent Order (DCO) to gain authorisation to acquire the land and construct the scheme.
  
  Before we can submit our application for a DCO we will hold a statutory public consultation on the design where we invite comments on our proposals. We are still finalising the future programme for the scheme, but we anticipate holding this consultation in 2021.
  
  You can find out more about NSIPs on the Planning Inspectorate's website. Alternatively you can watch our short animation which explains the process in simple terms.

• 24 October 2019

  Preferred route announcement

  Since we announced our preferred route in June, we’ve been carrying out surveys to help inform the scheme design ahead of consultation. In September we held our second Community Liaison Forum and asked the members of the forum to give feedback on the route to help us develop the scheme design. We’ve grouped the feedback given under four headings:

  • local links and community severance
  • process, timeline and scope of works
  • rationale and impact of the route regarding housing development and economic growth with a focus on job creation
  • focus on the location and performance of proposed and existing junctions and access points

  You can see more detail about the feedback in the meeting note in the 'Consultations' folder under the project information section.

  We’ve also been busy creating an animation to explain the process we go through when designing a road scheme such as the A358. We hope this will help you understand the level of detail you can expect to see at each stage.