Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1JQ

n NEWS Residents unhappy at Cllr Guy’s U-turn over the Tufa Field development

Continued from page 1 East Somerset Council’s cabinet this autumn, after the meeting to decide the fate of the field and de facto nature reserve was postponed due to the death of the Queen.

The ward councillor Cllr Jess David has come out against the plans if the project work ahead of development finds the plans inappropriate on financial or environmental grounds.

Residents were dismayed by the council’s U-turn having thought they had won the argument that Tufa Field with its steep sloping aspect, subsidence and flooding problems was not the place for a building site.

The Friends of Tufa Field have charted the site’s wildlife with images of the flora and fauna posted on their website.

As part of a green corridor or green lung into the city it links up with Corston View Park, Rush Hill Open Space and the woodlands that stretch up to Odd Down and beyond. Deer, badgers, foxes, slow worms, birds of prey are either residents or visitors.

Bath Voice understands from one resident that some the UK’s rarest bats are frequently seen there.

Resident Danny Groves said: “The previous regime’s approach was far from transparent when it came to liaising with residents over reckless plans to destroy this ecologically sensitive space by building 37 houses on it whilst declaring a climate emergency for Bath at the same time.

“What we hope for going forward is far more openness from the council. We are pleased that they have engaged with residents on this current plan and that they are taking the ecological importance of the tufa field seriously.

“Residents have also always been concerned about flood risk and landslip issues connected with any attempt to develop the land.

“No detailed, independent expert analysis was undertaken in the past even though water runs under it and it is prone to waterlogging.

“What we have asked for all along is that the aspects concerning flood risk, landslip and the tufa itself are subject to independent expert surveys, and that the results are shared with residents before any development moves forward.

“We hope that will be the case this time around.’”

Cllr Jess David said: “I want to put on record that I and a number of my residents have very strong concerns over the appropriateness of this site for any development.

“We are concerned about the ecological features of the site (species and habits), the impact of any development on local springs, and the land stability. These are all features of the site before the specifics of any design or access arrangements are considered.”

A report to cabinet earlier in the summer recommended progressing a scheme to provide accommodation for adults with learning difficulties and or autism with nine bungalows and seven apartments built on the site with measures to protect the ecology of the area.

The development will not cover the whole of the field partly due to the issues of land stability caused by the unusual geology of the site.

The Council approved £320k of capital funding to carry out further development work on the plans.

Cllr Kevin Guy said: “We have listened to residents and asked our officers to revise the original plans for the site and to deliver a smaller scheme providing essential support for vulnerable people, while ensuring the important local ecology is given greater protection.

“Cabinet will consider the report carefully before deciding whether to progress the proposals.”

The Council said it would be a low-density, small-scale, sensitive development providing a range of housing options to meet the needs of around 16 tenants.

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n NEWS IN BRIEF

Eco group: Eco Together project launched last month was aimed at helping people cut energy bills. It is a simple project for small groups of friends or neighbours. The group gets together for five structured sessions that cover energy, transport, food and resources.

The groups explore the powers each person has to create change, through lifestyle, community, advocacy and communication. Eco Together provides a handbook developed by environmental professionals to help each person choose activities that suit them best.

Four successful pilot groups have run in Widcombe and Weston. Group members took a wide range of actions, from reducing plastic and energy use to contacting their councillors and raising climate change at work.

Eco Together is hosted by Transition Bath, an environmental charity. There will be four Eco Together information sessions at the Bath & North East Somerset Climate and Biodiversity Festival from the 24 September to 2 October. The website is www. ecotogether.info or contact hello@ ecotogether.info Cyclists on pavement: A concerned reader has contacted Bath Voice to point out cyclists are breaking the Highway Code in Bath.

He said: “It’s common for people to cycle through the Claverton Street subway and on the pavement from there to Holloway.

“For the pathway from Holloway to St Mark’s Road, there is an explicit ‘no cycling’ sign at each end, but this restriction is more observed in the breach than in its observance.

“Those rules which contain ‘must’ or ‘must not’ in capitals are legal requirements. One existing rule (64) has ‘You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement.’ and this has the penalty set at £500.” Scooters on pavement: There’s been a lot of comment on social media about the way the Voi e-scooters are left after a journey by a hirer.

Photos of them littered across pavements creating a menace for those who are visually impaired and anyone pushing a pram or in a mobility scooter have appeared on Facebook sites.

One suggestion is to have designated parking areas for them a bit like a mini taxi rank.

Something needs to be done as the scheme has expanded to more areas of the city including East Twerton, Oldfield Park, Bear Flat, Bathampton, Southdown, Combe Down and Batheaston. Refugees: Bath Welcomes Refugees is a volunteer-run organisation offering practical support for people fleeing war and other traumas.

They also campaign on a local and national level to further the interests of refugees and to push for more families and individuals to be brought to safety.

They support and assist agencies who are involved in settling refugees and as a Community Sponsorship Group they are able to take full responsibility for welcoming and resettling individual refugee families to the area.

Also importantly they offer language training, employment and educational support and recently helping with the Homes for Ukraine initiative and the Ukraine Family Scheme.

More details at https://www. bathwelcomesrefugees.org.uk/ St John’s: The St John’s Crisis Programme provides funding support to individuals and families in Bath & North East Somerset who are struggling financially.

The programme provides funding for a wide range of items that meet the most essential needs, such as beds, white goods, furniture, carpets, counselling, debt support and basic employment skills and training.

Applications must be made through a professional referrer such as a registered charity, housing association, health visitor or any other organisation working to support individuals and families in crisis. Grandfriends: To bridge the age gap GrandFriends need more volunteers in Bath.

They said: “We are looking for older people with regular or occasional time to spare, who’d like to give their company to younger people and make a difference. Perhaps you have a relation, or neighbour, or retired colleague, or perhaps this might appeal to you?”

Visit: doit.life/volunteering/ organisation/899802/ grandfriends+uk/page for more information on Bath’s GrandFriends.