Residents at Mulberry Park in Combe Down are highlighting their concerns over proposals to extend the bus service through their estate.
The No.2 bus in Mulberry Park
The local residents’ association supports the No. 2 route extension but representatives of around 150 people living on the Curo development at the old MoD Foxhill site have contacted the Bath Echo to say their concerns have not been heeded, sparking a “wave of frustration and anxiety”.
The No. 2, operated by First Bus, runs between the city centre and The Hub at Mulberry Park and those objecting to the extension say there is nothing wrong with the current service which is well-used and “vital” to the community.
They say the proposed extension is “unnecessary and brings numerous issues that overshadow any potential benefits”.
Although the route extension was part of the plan when outline permission was granted for Mulberry Park by Bath & North East Somerset Council in 2014, the residents who contacted us say this was not disclosed to them at the time of purchase or lease.
They say they were “blindsided” by the announcement of the route extension in the residents’ association’s newsletter last September.
Williams Road in Mulberry Park
It is understood the extended route will take the No.2 bus along Whitaker Road, then across Naish Road and up Williams Road before joining Whitaker Road again, and that a secondary bus route is planned along Wratislaw Road. A new bus stop is proposed at the green at Whitaker Road.
The maximum number of buses a day on the new route will be 36 with fewer on weekends and bank holidays.
The concerned residents say the proposals raise serious concerns about safety, pollution, noise, traffic disruption, parking (including for deliveries) and privacy – and say it will “blight” their currently peaceful neighbourhood.
They claim the residents’ association survey does not accurately reflect their needs and concerns. They carried out their own door-to-door survey along the proposed route which showed 81% opposition to the extension.
This led to a petition with 131 signatures from 113 households, but residents living directly on the new proposed route say it has been ignored by Curo, First, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), and B&NES Council’s strategic transport department.
The concerned residents say that at the recent residents’ association AGM, an online survey presented a “misleading” 51/49 split in support for the new bus route, with the questions being “ambiguous”, and a lack of control over multiple votes from the same household.
They tell us: “Despite our collective efforts to voice our concerns through a petition, we have been met with a wall of indifference and a web of blame-shifting among the responsible parties.”
They say First has discounted alternative routes which would minimise the impact on affected households.
They add that their request for an independent needs assessment has been ignored and that noise impact and environmental impact assessments conducted at the outline planning stage do not take into account the proposed bus route. They also understand there has been no air quality assessment.
In February the council consulted on the introduction of a 20mph zone covering the whole of Mulberry Park, along with proposals to introduce ‘no waiting at any time’ restrictions on roads where parking is likely to cause an obstruction and hinder buses.
The Bath Echo took all the concerns raised by the group of 150 residents to First Bus, Curo, WECA, B&NES Council and the Mulberry Park Residents’ Association.
George Burton, head of network for First Bus in the West of England, told us: “Our intention to extend service 2 is consistent with the aspirations of B&NES Council and the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, and allows us to make sustainable transport available to even more people.
“The extension also aligns with the original outline planning permission.
“We have worked closely with the local authorities and consulted with residents, and while we recognise that some have raised concerns, others welcome the improved transport links to help promote sustainable transport, which plays a key role in reducing car dependency.
“As part of our bus network planning, we’re used to residents asking for new or extended routes, but very rarely do we find residents asking us not to make sustainable transport available to even more people, some of whom may be in need of public transport.”
Mulberry Park Residents’ Association says it represents the views of residents from across the development of more than 600 properties, and the bus service was part of the planning application for Mulberry Park.
In its submission to WECA, the residents’ association said that of the 185 people who responded to its survey and live in the area of Mulberry Park which will be served by the extended route (those in Phases 3 and 4), 157 use the Number 2/2A bus route and, of these, 91 would use the new bus stop (57% of current bus users).
“The survey also identified a small number of people (3) who do not currently use the Number 2/2A bus who would now use it. Perhaps most importantly, 51% of all respondents who live in the area which will be served by the extended route stated that they would use the new bus stop.
“For us as a residents’ association, this provides compelling evidence, not only of the popularity of the Number 2/2A route, but also of the fact that the bus stop provided by the extended route will be well used.”
In the letter to WECA, the association’s chair Tom Davies acknowledged that some residents living directly on the new route have expressed concerns. “We would note here that we, as a residents’ association, are very grateful for the additional engagement which First Bus has had with the Mulberry Park community as a whole and, in particular, the work they have undertaken to engage with those residents living directly on the proposed extended route who have concerns.
“As an example of this engagement, in addition to a public drop-in at The Hub in Mulberry Park, First Bus hosted a meeting with First Bus, myself as chair of the residents’ association, and one of the residents of Williams Road (a road on the route of the proposed extension).”
He said First Bus had made adjustments to its proposed timetable to ensure no bus would travel down the extended route before 7am and after 7.30pm on a weekday, with a later start at weekends.
Mr Davies added: “We also understand that First considered a different proposed route submitted by some residents of Williams Road which, whilst still seeing the bus travel down Whitaker Road, avoided Williams Road by instead passing homes on the north side of the estate, but that this was deemed less suitable by First Bus.”
Curo, WECA and B&NES Council have not provided the Bath Echo with comments in response to the concerns.
This week the concerned residents said this was “disappointing but however not surprising”, adding: “This again demonstrates they are not interested in understanding the views of the concerned residents.”
They say the consultation referenced by First Bus was a “superficial” exercise and only one public consultation meeting was organised, with no follow-ups, despite the numerous objections.
They say these concerns had not been formally recorded by First Bus which had resulted in them doing their own “thorough” survey which detailed a clear objection to the proposed route.
Regarding the letter to WECA from the residents’ association, the concerned residents say: “In our opinion the questionnaire was skewed towards obtaining a favourable result for the extended bus route. The fundamental fact is, only three people stated they would now start to use the bus. The proposal therefore cannot be justified.
“The comments raised by both First Bus and the residents’ association only reinforce our belief that the views of the 81% of residents who reside on the proposed bus route have been ignored.”
