Planning

Our vision of Bath is one where the built environment promotes a quality of life that is sustainable. Integral to this policy is the idea of promoting employment and building that ensures a balanced population that is not dominated by any one sector.

New development and other changes must enhance the built and green environment, ensure that Bath keeps and enhances its natural heritage, and help the area move towards a carbon free economy.

To that end we would:

• Strongly resist all building on the Green Belt and on green spaces, and develop green corridors within urban areas (these provide continuous routes for people and wildlife away from traffic)
• Ensure that all planning decisions are guided by strict sustainability indicators which would be higher than those in government guidelines.
• Oppose any expansion of the universities in Bath, where accommodation and areas for development cannot be provided in a sustainable way. If any expansion is proposed, we would seek to have this directed to areas that would benefit from additional jobs and which have adequate housing or potential for developing this, such as at Radstock and Midsomer Norton.
• Oppose the sale of school fields at Beechen Cliff School and all others
• Redevelop the recreation ground so that it is used by the people of Bath, while keeping the rugby and allowing a new green riverside development.