Plans revealed for holiday lets in ‘arboretum’ near railway arches

There are plans to build three holiday lets on vacant land near the railway arches at Lyncombe in Bath.

The application submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council says the site behind 48 Wells Road and to the rear of Oak Street has been disused for many years and has been subject to fly-tipping.

The site, to be known as Oak Street Arboretum, would be accessed from the public footpath that runs from Wells Road to Oak Street. A timber walkway from the footpath into the site is proposed.

The report says that the three holiday units would be in one building sharing a communal space facing the arches, with no overlooking of any neighbouring properties.

An aboricultural impact assessment says of the 19 trees on site, five would be removed to make way for the development.

One tree is proposed for removal due to its poor condition and one is scheduled for removal regardless of development, says the report.

New trees are proposed at the boundary with the rear of Oak Street and a mix of evergreen and wildflower meadow planting is also proposed.

The building would be on columns above ground level to avoid damaging tree roots and the roof would have gutter guards. The proposals for the building show facing bricks to match the railway arches, set onto a timber frame.

The application says the railway arches would act as a buffer so the site cannot be viewed from the city centre and can only really be seen from the footpath at the rear of the site.

Storage for bins and three cycles is proposed but there is no car parking. The site is said to be close to the train and bus stations and city centre, making it “ideal for this sustainable use”.

The planning reference is 25/03796/FUL and the deadline for comments is 4th December.