The Bath Local Centres High Street Improvement scheme is one part of a broader high streets renewal programme to support the recovery of high streets post-COVID, and improve their resilience in the face of great change in the retail sector.
The scheme will focus on the following local and district centres:
- Project 1 - Twerton High Street (local centre)
- Project 2 - Moorland Road (district centre)
- Project 3 - Weston High Street (local centre)
- Project 4 - Mount Road (local centre)
The scheme is separate to the Liveable Neighbourhoods (LN) programme but has some similar aims. Mount Road local centre will benefit from both the Bath Local Centres High Street Improvement Scheme and the LN programme. Find out more about the Mount Road element of the LN programme on our web page
The wider policy context
Tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency
Tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency is one of two core policies outlined in our Corporate Strategy 2020-2024. Our goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030.
The project supports the '15-minute neighbourhood' concept detailed in our One Shared Vision (see section 7.4). This concept aims to foster an urban environment which supports you (residents) to meet your everyday needs in your local area, enabling you to ‘live well locally’ and reduce the need to travel.
Across the scheme, the identified 15-minute walkable neighbourhoods accommodate a combined c.51,000 people living in over 20,000 households.
Materials and plants
The materials and specification of interventions will be reviewed to ensure that they are durable and enhance biodiversity.
Plant species selection and green infrastructure will be considered to catch rainwater and maximise improvements to air quality, and there will also be an overall increase in street greening and biodiversity delivered through the scheme, in all four locations.
Giving people a bigger say
Our second core policy is to give you, our residents, a bigger say about the things that affect you. Responding to this consultation will give you the opportunity to make your voice heard.
Other policy
This scheme also responds to the following national, regional and local policy:
- The five key priorities set out in the ‘Build Back Better High Streets’ Strategy
- The National Planning Policy Framework (makes it clear that councils should put policies in place that support high streets)
- The five key aims of the West of England Recovery Plan
- Policy CP12, Centres and Retailing, of the B&NES Core Strategy (see 'Centres and Retailing' section)
- The B&NES Health & Wellbeing Strategy
Background to this project
We completed a Full Business Case (FBC) in order to be awarded funding from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). View the FBC document on WECA's website