A beloved veteran copper beech tree in central Bath is under serious threat from Bath Rugby Club’s latest stadium development proposal — a move the Green Group says could cause irreversible ecological damage and breaches planning standards.
The tree, which stands just meters from the proposed new stadium site, has been recognised by a B&NES Council officer as “significant.” Yet the planning application (23/03558/EFUL) fails to properly acknowledge the impact of construction on the tree’s health — despite its 21-metre root protection area (RPA), which would be dramatically reduced to just three metres under current plans.
For years, the tree’s private landowner — whose walled garden sits beside the temporary East Stand — has taken great care to protect its roots. A previous application to build a garage was rejected due to concerns over root disturbance. The Council even installed a metal plate to prevent soil compaction. Yet the new stadium’s plans would see deep foundations, lighting, seating, and display infrastructure built directly into the tree’s root zone — a clear violation of British Standards on root protection.
The Bath & North East Somerset Green Group has already objected to the stadium plan on environmental and transport grounds. But new information about the threat to this veteran tree has renewed their call for urgent action.
In the wake of national outrage over recent high-profile tree losses — from the felling of the oak outside Enfield’s Toby Carvery to the senseless destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree near Hadrian’s Wall — these cases are important. In fact, Cllr Joanna Wright of the Green Group played a key role in securing Alice Park as the site for a Tree of Hope — a living tribute grown from a seedling of the Sycamore Gap Tree, tragically felled last year.
Joanna says
“Trees are vital for life, but more than this veteran and ancient trees have spent generations growing in communities where they are loved and treasured. The present planning application for Bath Rugby Club’s stadium has failed to address the real threat to this important local tree and ensure that the site of this new stadium is built to ensure its survival
The group reiterates that this veteran tree is far more than just a piece of scenery: it stores carbon, shelters wildlife, and connects generations. Its destruction would be irreversible — a sacrifice of nature for short-term convenience and commercial development.
“This is exactly what’s broken in our political and planning system,” said Councillor Joanna Wright, Leader of the Green Group. “We treat living ecosystems as if they’re disposable, when in reality they are essential. Cutting down a tree that’s stood for three centuries — in a climate and biodiversity crisis — is not just wrong, it’s reckless.”
The proposal highlights a deeper systemic failure. Just last year, the Green Group brought forward a Rights of Nature motion — a bold, legally grounded framework that would have empowered the Council to protect natural entities like this tree. It was based on existing UK law, developed in collaboration with environmental lawyer Paul Powlesland, and backed by residents, campaigners, and young people. But the Council rejected it outright — just five councillors voted in favour.
Had the motion passed, Bath and North East Somerset could have been the first council in the UK to formally recognise nature’s rights. Instead, the administration chose to play it safe, despite claiming ‘boldness’ as a core value in its corporate strategy. The Rugby Club’s proposal is now a direct consequence of that failure of vision.
At the national level, Labour’s recent amendments to the Nature and Climate Bill are compounding the problem. Rather than strengthening the bill to address the scale of environmental collapse we face, they’ve diluted it — opening the door to weaker protections and more development at nature’s expense. This is a step backward at precisely the moment we need to be leaping forward.
The Green Group is calling on the Council to reject the tree-felling proposal and commit to placing ecological health and long-term resilience at the heart of its planning decisions. This moment demands leadership — not excuses.
“We are in an emergency,” said Cllr Wright. “Protecting ancient trees and ecosystems should be the baseline, not the battleground. We need to stop pretending that nature is a luxury we can negotiate with. It’s our life support system — and we’re tearing it down, branch by branch.”