New-look homes plan for ‘tufa field’
Controversial plans to build 37 homes in a Bath field have finally been ditched and will be replaced with a scheme that protects the site’s rare habitat.
Despite thousands signing a petition against Bath and North East Somerset Council’s application for the “tufa field” in Englishcombe Lane that the authority’s own ecologist branded unacceptable, it was approved in August 2020.
That decision was never published amid behind-the-scenes wrangling and Councillor Kevin Guy’s promise to reassess options for land when he swept to power in May 2021.
The council is now looking at options for a smaller scheme that balances the need for community housing with protecting the ecologically significant tufa, a rare geological feature.
Mr Guy said: “It was extremely helpful to meet residents and listen to people’s concerns and ideas and I want to thank everyone who came along to the meeting. I want to stress that ideas for the site are at a very early stage and a consultation would be held once we have firm proposals to consider.
“And I want to reassure residents that we are taking the ecological issues they raised into account.
“While it’s an allocated housing site, which could provide muchneeded homes for residents, any final scheme must protect and enhance the ecology of the land as well as providing energy-efficient, low carbon housing to meet local need.”
The new aim for the site is that it should use its ecological sensitivity as an opportunity to create a peaceful, energy-efficient housing environment for people with specialist housing needs, such as people who have learning difficulties and are inappropriately housed.
Backers of the new scheme say it will boost biodiversity by 10 per cent, maintain a buffer around the tufa springs and address previous concerns about water run-off.
Englishcombe Lane resident
Danny Groves, who spoke out against the previous application, welcomed Mr Guy’s confirmation that the development would definitely not go ahead.
But he added: “Residents still have grave concerns about the suitability of the land for any sort of development, especially around flood risk and the documented instability of the land itself.
“These issues, as well as the important ecological value of the field, were largely ignored by the previous regime in favour of financial gain.
“Therefore, residents present at the meeting expressed their desire to see independent assessments around the flood risk and potential landslip undertaken by external experts, and that those expert reports are made public before any development is taken forward.”