Law firm awarded £640k contract to provide planning advice on bypass

Law firm Burges Salmon has been appointed to a £642,950 contract to advise North Somerset Council on a major transport scheme.

The contract will see Burges Salmon act on behalf of the council in providing advice on planning, land assembly and statutory consents for the construction of a bypass near Banwell village in Weston-super-Mare.

Burges Salmon's duties will include advising on the project structure and delivery models, advising on and reviewing the planning application, Compulsory Purchase Order preparation and making and confirmation of the Order, project management and provision of Counsel services.

North Somerset Council received eight tenders in the process and awarded the contract based on quality (weighting: 50) and price (weighting: 50).

The project is part of a larger regeneration scheme announced last summer that will see Homes England invest £97m in the area. Alongside the bypass, local roads and utilities will be improved, a flood mitigation project will take place, and 900 school places will be added in a secondary school expansion at Parklands Village.

Adam Carey