Revised plans for accommodation for adults with learning disabilities on an ecologically sensitive site at Englishcombe Lane in Bath have gone on view online this week.
The tufa field in Bath in 2021 | Photo © Kate Groves
Tomorrow (Wednesday 13th March) Bath & North East Somerset Council is also holding a face-to-face drop-in session at St Luke’s Church Centre off Wellsway between 4pm and 8pm, giving residents an opportunity to study the plans for the Tufa Field, ask questions and give feedback.
Development of the site is controversial as it is an important nature reserve due to its tufa flushes, a rare type of limestone spring.
In recent months contractors have been at the field carrying out surveys ahead of a planning application being submitted by the council.
The council is proposing 16 homes on land to the rear of 89-123 Englishcombe Lane, which it says balances the need for community housing with protecting the site’s ecology.
The revised proposals include a 10-metre buffer around the site, a bat corridor and protective measures for badgers, reptiles and small mammals.
The online exhibition incorporates information showing how the proposal responds to the landscape, the local ecology, flood, and drainage considerations and also provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the intended beneficiaries of the proposed scheme.
The accommodation will enable people with a learning disability and/or autism to live as independently as possible, but with care and support as needed, reducing the need for out-of-area placements away from family and friends.
It includes 11 single-storey and 5 split-level properties and a communal facility.
The council says the design approach to the site has been landscape-led, using the Building with Nature (BwN) assessment criteria to inform the layout and ensure that the buildings and spaces incorporate natural elements and enhance the wellbeing of the occupants, while working within the site’s ecological constraints.
The proposed development seeks to maximise the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) on site and the design team is continuing to look at opportunities to do so.
If required, the team will rely on designated council sites to provide further BNG, in line with government guidance.
Councillor Deborah Collins, cabinet project lead for Built Environment & Sustainable Development, said: “We have worked hard to develop a scheme that provides residential accommodation in a sensitive way while protecting the landscape.
“I am immensely proud of this scheme and I believe it will have a transformative effect on people’s lives.
“Feedback from previous engagement activity has fed into these proposals and I want to thank everybody, including residents and community groups, who has worked with us to develop this scheme.
“And I would encourage as many people as possible to visit the exhibition either in person or online and complete a feedback form telling us what aspects they like and what actions can be taken to change elements that concern them.”
The exhibition can be viewed online until 22nd March at https://englishcombelanesupportedhousing.com
A planning application will be submitted in the near future, and the council says that subject to permission being granted, work could start on site at the end of the year.
