Controversial waiting restrictions approved on Mulberry Park roads

Controversial plans to bring in ‘no waiting at any time’ restrictions to stop parked cars hindering a new bus route on the Mulberry Park estate have been approved, along with a 20mph limit across the development.

The No.2 bus in Mulberry Park

The No.2 bus service, which is operated by First and runs between the city centre and The Hub at Mulberry Park, is being extended around the new estate.

The double yellow lines affect Bradford Park, Brinkworth Road, Fox Hill, Hillyer Grove, Janes Grove, Kellaway Lane, Mulberry Way, Naish Road, Patch Street, Willis Road, Williams Road, and Whitaker Road.

The local residents’ association was in support of the route extension but representatives of around 150 people living on the Curo development contacted the Bath Echo in February to say their concerns about the proposals had not been heeded and there was nothing wrong with the current well-used service.

Although the route extension was part of the plan when outline permission was granted for Mulberry Park on the old Foxhill MoD site in 2014, the residents who contacted us said this was not disclosed to them at the time of purchase or lease.

The extended bus route will take the No.2 along Whitaker Road, then across Naish Road and up Williams Road before joining Whitaker Road again. A secondary bus route is planned along Wratislaw Road. A new bus stop is proposed at the green at Whitaker Road.

First Bus has said that no bus will use the extended route before 7am and after 7.30pm on a weekday, with a later start at weekends.

In response to Bath & North East Somerset Council’s decision to go ahead with the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), the representatives of the objectors told the Bath Echo that the outcome was “disappointing”.

They said: “Despite our desire to discuss our concerns on parking displacement, inadequate parking for visitors, accessibility and it not being in keeping with the character of the area, we have been faced with a lack of interest from the parties we contacted.

“Our letter of petition was sent to Curo, B&NES and First Bus in November 2024 in regard to the bus route.

“Their responses failed to answer our concerns. We requested meetings on several occasions. These requests were ignored.

“We note that the TRO decision notice references our petition; however, the TRO response regarding the public objections raised does not answer the concerns on safety, noise, traffic, security and housing blight to name a few.

“Furthermore, the response doesn’t even mention the proposed bus route extension which is the TRO’s primary purpose. Instead, the decision-makers have chosen to focus on the reasons why the parking restrictions will result in minimal impact to the residents.”

The objectors said the fact remains that if the extended bus route was withdrawn, parking restrictions wouldn’t be needed: “81% (131 residents) that are directly impacted do not want the extended bus route so we cannot understand why this TRO has been approved as these views are clearly not important to B&NES.”

They added: “We believe that the Mulberry Park development has not been designed adequately in the first place, nor has its proposal been fully considered with the implementation of a bus route further into the development.

“We feel that the incorporation of double yellow lines is an attempt to provide a solution to a problem that should not have existed in the first place and therefore causing further issues elsewhere.”

Council officers note in the TRO report that “ample parking opportunities are still retained within the Mulberry Park development”.