Bath Rugby has insisted that its plans to build a stadium in the city centre will not harm a veteran copper beech tree nearby.
Green councillors Saskia Heijltjes and Joanna Wright in front of the copper beech | Photo © B&NES Green Group
Two of the city’s Green councillors, who previously warned the plan would “cause misery for residents”, said that the plans could damage the large copper beech next to the Recreation Ground.
It is recognised as a “notable tree” in the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Inventory, but Bath Rugby has insisted the tree would be protected.
A spokesperson for the club said: “We are aware of the comments made by the two members of the Green Party in relation to the Copper Beech Tree referenced in the article which are factually incorrect.
“Our stadium design proposals will protect this tree. We continue to work with B&NES officers throughout the ongoing formal planning process.”
Although it is not one of the ten trees that would be removed to make way for the stadium, foundations and a drain could now be built into its root zone, which the council’s arboriculture officer warned was “unacceptable”.
Meanwhile, the north stand would be so close that it would actually be under the canopy.
Joanna Wright, Green councillor for Lambridge, said: “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.”
How the proposed stadium would look from above | Image © Bath Rugby
The Greens called it a ‘clear violation’ of British standards on root protection. A previous application to build a garage had once been rejected due to concerns over root disturbance of the tree.
Building a permanent stadium for Bath Rugby on the Recreation Ground is hugely controversial in Bath. The Recreation Ground is a green space right in the heart of the city.
Bath Rugby currently spends about a million pounds a year on temporary stands that they have to put up and take down each season.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
