Use this page to help you to identify proposed policy changes which are most likely to affect you. You may also wish to look carefully at our Local residents: what this means for you page. Select a topic to read about the update in more detail.
We are proposing to include updates to a number of policy areas which address the Climate and Ecological Emergency:
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How to deliver more sustainable transport options
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a Net Zero Carbon policy for new build residential and non-residential development
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Improved guidance on retrofitting energy efficiency measures to make existing properties more environmentally friendly, with an updated Supplementary Planning Document which is also currently under public consultation
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A revision of the currently adopted renewable energy policy (such as solar and wind power), to set out a clearer, more positive strategy in helping to facilitate renewable energy infrastructure development, including some explorations of the most appropriate locations
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Updates to our biodiversity and green infrastructure policies
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Introduce a new policy requiring Biodiversity Net Gain within new development (meaning that new development must make a measurable improvement on biodiversity)
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Supporting ecological networks and Nature Recovery Networks
We are proposing new site allocations to deliver around 1,100 new homes, in order to meet the housing requirement in our Core Strategy. These are primarily on brownfield (ex-industrial) sites and in Bath and Keynsham, in line with our existing spatial strategy.
Brownfield sites
- Bath Riverside (additional capacity)
- Twerton Park
- Royal United Hospital
- Sion Hill (Bath Spa University)
- St Martin’s Hospital, Bath
- Fire Station site, Keynsham
- Treetops Nursing Home, Keynsham
- Paulton Printworks site
Greenfield sites
- Keynsham safeguarded land
- Silver Street, Midsomer Norton
We are proposing stronger protection for industrial sites across B&NES and office uses within Bath, to control how much land shifts from employment to residential use. We plan to do this by extending the policy which seeks to prevent change of use or redevelopment of offices to residential uses. We plan to extend this policy to also cover changes of use from office / employment use to Purpose Built Student Accommodation or large HMOs.
Proposed policy changes include greater prioritisation of student accommodation on university campuses, rather than in the city, and an update to the policy framework for the University of Bath Claverton Down site.
We are planning to revise the role of Bath's Park & Ride sites to become transport interchanges. In order to make this development possible, we consider that there are exceptional circumstances to remove them from the Green Belt and allocate them as transport interchanges.
We are planning to update or introduce site designations covering a number of potential renewal projects, including the following:
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Designate a site in the Locksbrook area as a creative industry hub – the policy will facilitate delivery with Bath Spa University of a mix of creative business space and some teaching space resulting in an economically productive use of the site
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Provide a policy for the relocation of the Bus Depot from Weston Island, to enable its allocation for employment uses to facilitate the redevelopment of other key sites in the city (eg Manvers St & at Lower Bristol Road) as well as potentially including public facing uses such as creative, arts-based activities.
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Local policy will be amended to provide greater flexibility for a mix of town centre uses/active frontages in the Milsom Quarter to help address recent decline and enable creation of a vibrant mixed use part of the city centre.
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No longer allocate South Road Car Park site for retail development (and make provision for a retail store on the Former Welton Bag Factory site), but retain it primarily as a public car park
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Changes to the mix of uses and site boundary of the Somer Valley Enterprise Area for this site
We are proposing the following policy changes, which aim to rebalance our approach to travel and transport:
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Ensuring that sustainable transport modes are considered first in looking at the location and design of new development
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Embedding the principles of Liveable Neighbourhoods
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Requiring development to enhance, rather than just maintain, recreational or active travel routes
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Changing the standards we apply to parking provision and design
We are supplementing the changes to the Local Plan with a new Supplementary Planning Document on Transport and Development.