Petition backed by 2,500 to conserve ‘rare habitat’
A petition has been launched by Bath residents to save a nature reserve from housing development by the council.
Bath and North East Somerset Council submitted a planning application to build 37 houses on Tufa Field, off Englishcombe Lane in Odd Down, in April 2018.
The plans, which run to 254 documents, received 45 objections but were approved by the council in August 2020.
Richard and Margaret Cartright, who live nearby, said they had “concerns” about “drainage for the site”, which is well-known for its tufa springs and the unique habitat they create.
Mary Radley wrote: “I live in rural Wales, but when staying with my family in Englishcombe Lane I have seen a variety of wildlife in the woods behind the property, and also in the garden.
“I have seen deer, foxes, badgers, squirrels, hedgehogs and many species of birds on a regular basis.
“This is a wonderful environment for wildlife and natural trees and plants to thrive on the edge of a busy city.”
Ms Radley went on to say she recognised “the need for more housing” but that there were “many areas in the more built-up parts of Bath that would suit this development better”.
The majority of objectors echoed her sentiments and some mentioned the extra traffic that 27 houses and 10 flats would bring.
The council plans to offset the displacement of wildlife by establishing a bigger stretch of habitat on Pennyquick Lane.
There will be 14 affordable homes in the development and eight available for social rent.
But in September, tensions were sparked again, when a tractor sent to prepare the Tufa Field for building was said to have caused the death of several slowworms (a protected species of lizard).
Residents accused the council of hypocrisy in condoning the scheme, given that its members had declared an ecological emergency just weeks earlier, and Bob Goodman, an ex-councillor, said the scheme was “shameful”.
Last month, Friends of Englishcombe Lane Field launched a petition to save the field and it has received 2,429 signatures so far.
The petition states: “In 2020, in the wake of an ecological and nature emergency being declared by the local council, planning permission was granted to develop this rare habitat - one deemed to be of county importance.
“The key argument - habitat translocation - assumes you can effectively move this ecological gem to a brownfield site 2 miles away. This is an unproven theory, and one particularly disputed by professional ecologists.”