The latest planning application for the ecologically-sensitive site in the south of Bath known as the Tufa Field has been submitted.

How the new bungalows may look | Image © Arcadis / Bath & North East Somerset Council
A supported living scheme with 16 bungalows and a communal hub with carers’ accommodation is being proposed by Bath & North East Somerset Council for the land to the rear of 89-123 Englishcombe Lane.
Development of the site is controversial as the site is an important nature reserve due to its tufa flushes, a rare type of limestone spring.
The council says the proposals balance the need for community housing with protecting the site’s ecology.
The land is described in the application as “unmanaged pasture grassland”.
The council had sought planning permission in 2018 for a scheme of open-market housing consisting of 37 units with split-level access to accommodate the site’s topography.
In 2020 the planning committee resolved to grant permission, subject to completion of a legal agreement and compliance with 34 planning conditions. However, the decision was made not to pursue the proposed scheme.
The council has since proposed a “landscape-led” scheme for the 1.40-hectare site, providing adults with learning disabilities and/or autism the opportunity to live independently.
The plans, which are now open for consultation, see bungalows organised into two clusters around an internal landscaped courtyard and connected via a footbridge over a watercourse and habitat area.
There would be 10 one-bedroom units, five with two bedrooms and one with three bedrooms. A communal hub designed for health, wellbeing, and socialising which includes accommodation for carers is also proposed.
There would be private outdoor gardens and communal space, and parking for staff and visitors, as well as cycle parking spaces.
The proposed development retains the access point and pedestrian pathway from Englishcombe Lane.
The application says the project’s potential impacts on wildlife during construction will be very carefully managed to ensure compliance with all relevant policies and legislation, and the long-term management of the site and the off-site areas will deliver net enhancements for biodiversity that are secured and funded through appropriate agreements.
Tufa Field campaigners have a website – https://tufafield.com/ – and say any development goes against the council’s self-proclaimed environmental and ecological emergency declarations.
The planning reference is 24/01168/REG03. The deadline for comments is 24th May.