The Green Group of Bath and North East Somerset Council has welcomed the University of Bath’s plans to build nearly 1,000 new student bedrooms on campus but is calling for urgent action to sort out safe walking and cycling routes between the University and the city.
“More students living on campus is definitely a good thing,” said Green Councillor Joanna Wright, “It helps ease the pressure on housing in town and means more family homes could come back into use.”
The new development, known as the R7 project, would add 960 new bedrooms on the Claverton Down campus – a big step up from the 4,000 undergraduate rooms the University currently provides across the city and campus.
The University’s plans include new pedestrian and cycle paths within the campus, along with secure bike storage. But Green councillors say that’s only half the job.
“There’s no point in building cycle paths on campus if students can’t get there safely in the first place,” added Green Councillor Saskia Heijltjes, “The routes from town – North Road, Bathwick Hill and Widcombe Hill – are steep, busy and currently not safe for someone on an e-scooter or bicycle sharing with fast-moving cars and buses.”
Even though a Citizens’ Panel on Active Travel was held in conjunction with the University of Bath in 2022, all three roads have been identified in the Council’s Active Travel Masterplan as key links between the city and the University. Despite significant investment in the Citizens’ Panel held in 2022, it is still unclear which route will be prioritised to be made safe for active travel use. The Greens also criticised recent works on Widcombe Hill, which they say don’t meet government infrastructure design guidance for cycling.
“With buses already packed and fares rising, walking and cycling need to be real options. But at the moment, they’re not, and that’s holding people back.
“We support sustainable development but that has to include how people get around. It’s time for the Council and University to work together and finally deliver at least one safe and accessible route between campus and town”, concluded Councillor Wright.
The BaNES Council Green Group says it’s looking forward to seeing the full Transport Statement and Travel Plan that will accompany the planning application later this year and will be pushing for a proper, joined-up approach to transport.