A new section of a key Somerset active travel route will be delivered in Wells after plans for a new supermarket were approved.

Lidl GB Ltd. applied in March 2022 to build a new supermarket on the A39 Strawberry Way, replacing both its existing store and the former Travis Perkins outlet near the Strawberry Way roundabout.

Somerset Council has now approved the plans, which include the creation of a new dedicated cycle way to the north to form part of the Strawberry Line, which will eventually run uninterrupted from Yatton to Shepton Mallet.

This comes as work on a new extension of the Strawberry Line to the east of the city, being carried out by local contractors, nears its completion.

A previous version of the supermarket plans would have seen Lidl build a new store on the Travis Perkins site, with the existing store being re-let to a non-food retailer.

However, Mendip District Council refused these proposals in December 2021, raising concerns about localised flooding and provision for active travel in the city.

Under the newly-approved proposals, the entire site will be occupied by a larger Lidl store, with more parking being provided at the eastern end of the site near the border with Priory Road.

A total of 46 extra parking spaces will be provided on site, bringing the total to 125, with an additional three disabled spaces and an additional 12 motorcycle spaces.

Lidl has said the new store will create up to ten jobs, though the majority of these will be part-time.

A spokesman for One Design Architects (representing Lidl) said: "Due to the limited size of the existing store, with a net sales floor-space of 945 sq m, it does not meet the current requirements of the business or Lidl's customers.

"The redevelopment of the store immediately presents an ideal opportunity to meet these requirements with a modern 1,414 sq m net store which can better serve the local community."

The Strawberry Line currently runs uninterrupted from Yatton railway station to Wedmore Road in Cheddar, with much of it following the route of the Cheddar Valley railway line which was closed in the infamous Beeching cuts of the mid-1960s.

Somerset Council and its predecessors have been making multiple attempts to extend the line, delivering various sections between Cheddar and Shepton Mallet in a bid to complete the 76-mile 'Somerset Circle' which would link the area to Bristol and Bath.

Construction is currently under way on a new stretch linking Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton, building on a section which opened in December 2022 to take cyclists away from the narrow and dangerous A371 between Cheddar and Wells.

At the Shepton Mallet end of the route, two new sections were opened in March as part of an ongoing partnership between the local authority and Greenways & Cycle Routes, which was put in place in 2020.

Much of the Wells section of the Strawberry Line relies on pedestrians and cyclists using quieter roads through the city centre, before rejoining the off-road path out towards Dulcote Quarry which opened in March 2022.

As part of the Lidl plans, a new section of the Strawberry Line route will be provided along the northern edge, providing pedestrians and cyclists with a safer alternative to West Street and the prospect of a new crossing over Priory Road being delivered at a later date.

A further 600 metres of the Strawberry Line is currently being constructed, leading from the entrance to Charlie Bingham's Quarry Kitchen past the Dulcote household waste recycling centre – which could open in the late-summer.

A statement on the official Strawberry Line Facebook page said: "This is another significant step towards reconnecting our communities and closing the gap to Shepton Mallet.

"Overall, this is an impressive feat by our dedicated local volunteers, supporting volunteers from neighbouring groups and our local contractor.

"For your safety we would kindly ask that you don't attempt to explore this section which is under construction, given we often use heavy plant and machinery. Please keep out of the works site until it is formally opened to the public."