On 11 March Transition Bath organised an evening of talks at the Percy Community Centre on how we use Bath’s landscape and plan its urban growth to shape a sustainable future for the city. We heard from three speakers on wider landscape policy, the need to reset the Local Plan in B&NES, the mechanisms for promoting exemplar new development, and the role and power of community engagement in the planning process – how we can all help to shape our city. We also heard about Bath’s new initiative, Bath Landscape City, and the role this will play in creating a greener, more biodiverse and sustainable city for the future.
The Speakers
The speakers were:
Councillor Matt McCabe – Cabinet Member for the Built Environment for B&NES
Matt McCabe talked about Bath’s housing needs and urban planning. He explained that the city faces significant constraints in terms of building development due to its double World Heritage Status including its green setting, which limits growth potential. Matt’s assessment of the region’s housing needs highlighted a shortage of affordable homes, with the need to make 77% of new-builds affordable. Market conditions and the commercial motivations of developers make it difficult to meet this target, so alternative approaches are necessary.
Matt explained how the government’s new housing targets have recently doubled, raising the pressure to build 29,000 homes in the region. The B&NES Local Plan must adapt to this change, considering spatial planning and transport infrastructure, such as improving public transport and encouraging cycling. A major focus is the transition to Net Zero, addressing the environmental impact of increased car journeys. Matt indicated that community engagement and consultation are vital in shaping these developments to ensure balanced, sustainable growth.
Philip Haile – Transition Bath
Philip Haile explained how Transition Bath works to make Bath more environmentally sustainable with specialist commentaries on around 300 planning applications annually. The focus in these recommendations is on energy standards for new-builds, historic homes and affordable housing. Bath has the highest energy standards in the country, but developers often push back on affordable housing targets due to viability issues, with developers aiming for high profits. Housing density increases, in many ways enabling the protection of the green setting, does also limit green spaces within the developments. We need to recognise that reducing the amount of parking around housing developments could free up the space for more homes.
Transition Bath also addresses the carbon impact of construction, emphasising that embodied energy – the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building – is a significant concern. It advocates for more stringent policies on parking, property taxes and co-living spaces. While energy standards are good in B&NES, the challenge remains in meeting affordable housing targets and building sustainably. Transition Bath urges community support to push for higher affordable housing percentages and better policies in the planning process, as some ‘affordable’ homes remain unaffordable, undermining the goal of meeting housing needs.
Paul Pearce – the Green Infrastructure Programme Manager for BANES’ Landscape City Project
Following the screening of a short film on the Bathscape Project, Paul Pearce outlined the Landscape City initiative, a partnership project aimed at preserving and enhancing Bath’s natural environment. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bathscape focuses on three key themes: restoring the landscape, understanding it, and encouraging public exploration. Over six years, the project has collaborated with 69 landowners to improve biodiversity, creating 19 new wildflower meadows. It has also helped manage woodlands, addressing threats like ash dieback and Dutch Elm Disease.
Bathscape offers events, health walks and volunteer opportunities, engaging thousands annually. The Landscape City initiative emphasises Bath’s unique combination of built and natural landscapes, urging more public engagement. Upcoming plans include the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which maps priority habitats and promotes connecting spaces for wildlife. Bathscape’s efforts are helping to shape sustainable, accessible green spaces, ensuring that Bath’s natural heritage is preserved for future generations.
Questions & Answers
The final part of the evening brought a lively Q&A with our panel of speakers. Themes of the questions and answers focused on housing and environmental sustainability challenges. Key points included the need for better monitoring of new building standards, the impact of developers’ practices, and the importance of community involvement in planning. Concerns were raised about developers bypassing regulations, such as using fake stone or altering plans without approval, as well as the practice of value engineering to cut costs. Councillor Matt McCabe highlighted the Council’s efforts to provide social housing, aiming for 1,000 units by 2033, despite challenges like land availability and infrastructure. Discussions also emphasised the balance between housing and nature, with ideas such as higher housing density to prevent building on open fields. The role of ecosystem services in funding green spaces was also mentioned. Participants called for more public engagement in development decisions, better governance for managing green spaces, and incorporating local communities in decision-making. The need for national standards in construction and rental units was also stressed.