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Lower Lansdown and The Circus

The Lower Lansdown and The Circus area is one of the 15 areas in our community-led Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. It is located near the centre of Bath and is approximately 0.7 miles from Bath Spa train station.

About the programme

Liveable Neighbourhoods is a community-led programme that aims to improve residential streets and encourage safe, active and more sustainable forms of travel, such as walking, wheeling and cycling.

Typical improvements suggested by communities are:

  • Better crossings, footways and cycle lanes to connect homes with shops, schools and community hubs  
  • Traffic-calming measures to tackle anti-social driving, speeding and inconsiderate parking
  • Pleasant places for people to sit and meet others outside

Find out more about LNs and their benefits

Our approach

Our role is to support communities to develop their own LNs, engaging with them at every stage of development. We want to hear from a diverse range of people to ensure the final designs meet everyone’s needs.  

Read more about our approach to developing LNs

Development of this LN

  • In Autumn 2020, we asked residents across the district how they felt about LNs, and 48 communities then applied to become a LN, via ward councillors.
  • In June 2021, we prioritised 15 areas where development of LNs could start (this included the Lower Lansdown and The Circus area).
  • In December 2021, we asked for your feedback on what was good about the area, what transport-related issues you experience, and what improvements would make the most impact. 
  • In Spring/Summer 2022, we held a series of co-design workshops where residents suggested a range of measures to help (see Co-design outcomes below).
  • During 2022/23, we shortlisted residents’ suggestions against a range of technical criteria and prepared draft designs to be considered in a full business case from winter 2023/4.
  • In Autumn 2023, we announced a proposal to trial a range of measures in this area ahead of the wider programme (see below).

View our full project development timeline which includes links to the relevant reports.

Please expand the sections below to find out more.

Outcomes of the original engagement

Out of the 1,625 responses submitted as part of our public engagement in December 2021, 375 people commented on the Lower Lansdown and The Circus area. Below is a summary of what people said:

What is good about the area?

  • 197 said 'close to shops and services'
  • 178 said 'strong community spirit'
  • 120 said 'good accessibility, such as walking, wheeling and cycling'

What issues are experienced?

  • 257 said 'through traffic'
  • 227 said 'speeding traffic'
  • 124 said 'parking'
  • 122 said school run traffic'
  • 89 said 'HGV traffic'
  • 89 said 'space for wheeling, walking or cycling'

What measures could improve the area?

  • 228 said 'a restriction on through traffic or HGVs'
  • 80 said 'new pedestrian crossings'
  • 75 said 'EV charging facilities'
  • 73 said 'better or more residents parking'

Outcomes of the co-design workshops

We held a workshop on 27 July 2022 with residents who expressed an interest during earlier consultations to co-design the Lower Lansdown and The Circus Liveable Neighbourhood.

At the workshop, attendees took part in a series of exercises to identify what they liked about the area, what could be improved, and what specific measures could help, plotting these on a map of the area.

To see the maps and the longlist of ideas suggested by the community, please view the report below.

View the workshop report

Our partner Sustrans is helping to broaden our engagement by involving people in the community with different and seldom-heard voices. During co-design, they visited community groups to gather their feedback.

View the Sustrans workshop report

In August 2022, attendees were invited back to review the outcomes of the workshop and prioritise their ideas, focusing on the original application area. More information on the outcomes will soon be provided below.

Recommendations for design

We have shortlisted the community’s priorities for the Lower Lansdown and The Circus area against a range of criteria, including costs and practicalities.

When available, you will be able to read the reports on this web page. This will include the prioritisation workshop report, the recommendation criteria, and the recommended shortlist for the LN area.

Proposed experimental trials

Due to strong support for tackling through traffic in the area, we are proposing to fast-track three linked trials in the area in spring 2024 (ahead of the wider programme).

The trials being proposed are:

  • A through-traffic restriction on Catharine Place between its junction with Margaret’s Buildings and Rivers Street Mews
  • A through-traffic restriction on Winifred’s Lane (south of its junction with Somerset Lane) and supplemented by a no-right-turn onto Sion Hill from the northern end of Cavendish Road
  • A no-entry for motorised vehicles into Gay Street from the George Street junction; and a left-turn only into George Street from this section of Gay Street to prevent southbound vehicles from travelling straight on to Queen Square. Gay street remains two-way with access from the Circus or via the left-only turn into George Street.

The trials would be in place for a minimum of six months from spring 2024, accompanied by an ongoing public consultation.

At the beginning of February 2024, a decision was taken to proceed with the proposed trials, subject to a call-in period until 9 February. Use the links below to read the decision notice and the related reports.

Read the press release on the decision to proceed with the trials.

Further details on the proposal will be sent directly to residents and businesses in the area in due course.

We have secured the early release of funding from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority specifically to run trials ahead of the wider programme.

Next steps

We are preparing a full business case (FBC) for the wider LN programme to establish funding priorities. This will be submitted to the West of England Combined Authority in spring 2024. We will engage the public on the overall design for this LN once the FBC has been approved.

Meanwhile, due to strong support for tackling through traffic in the area, we are proposing to fast-track three linked trials ahead of the wider programme (see above).

View the project development timeline

Keep informed

Please subscribe to our newsletter to be informed of progress. If you would like to receive this newsletter in another format please contact us using the details below.

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Contact us

If you would like to talk to an advisor, get involved in the LN programme or be kept up to date on future events, email us at LNs@bathnes.gov.uk, or call 01225 39 40 25 (and request a call-back from a team member)

Please also let us know if you need this information in easy-read or an alternative format.