Decision details

The Cabinet agreed on 25th January 2017 which site should be promoted as a P&R east of Bath.

This decision was Called In on the 1st February 2017.  The Monitoring Officer verified the Call In request on the 7th February 2017.

The Communities, Transport and Environment PDS Panel met on 23^rd February 2017 to hear the Call In.  The Panel dismissed the Call In.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet agreed to:

1.  Note that both sites F and B could deliver the required outcomes for a P&R site to the east of Bath.

2.  Refuse that site F with 800 or 1,200 spaces should be promoted as the preferred site for a new Park and Ride east of Bath.

3.  Authorise:-

A)  that site B with 800 spaces should be promoted as the preferred site for a new Park and Ride east of Bath based on the advice in the report, but subject to satisfactory arrangements for the purchase of the site and agreement from Highways England on access.

B)  If site B is not deliverable for the above reasons, within a reasonable timescale, then site F should be progressed.

4.  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director (Place), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport, to make all necessary arrangements to implement the above, including, as necessary, the appropriation of land under Section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972.

5.  Approve all necessary expenditure to enable the site to be secured and requests the development of a full business plan for appropriate executive approval.

6.  Fully approve an additional £500,000 to support delivery of the next steps.

As is clear from the report there are a number of challenging issues with all of these sites. They are all in the Green Belt and within the WHS setting. Those within the AONB would cause significant harm and would have to pass a high test of whether or not there were alternatives available outside the AONB. Some are more attractive to passing traffic and nearer to the city while those further from the city are likely to be less attractive to motorists. The modelling work, referred to above, indicates that the sites on the A4 Box Road would attract about 500 users. The Getting Around Bath Transport Strategy Supporting Document identifies that “P&R should be located where it is visible from the radial route, have adequate space to accommodate demand with room for later expansion if needed and have suitable access arrangements for cars and buses.” On this basis Sites B and F are the preferred options. Both would attract the highest level of users because they are well located to the 3 main roads which approach Bath from the east namely, the A4, A363 and A46.

The Planning service considered the impact of B and F on the setting of the WHS, neither site is within the WHS itself, and gave a preference to site F, due to the potential mitigation that can be provided in this location. Whilst it is considered that Site B can also be mitigated the scale of the mitigation is less than can be achieved at Site F due primarily to the difference in the size of the two sites.

The demand for a P&R will depend on where the P&R buses terminate within Bath. A simple shuttle to the city centre which can link to another bus that runs to the RUH, would attract about 800 users. There is also a need to make improvements to the signage to the Lansdown P&R for drivers to encourage use of this P&R site from those arriving from the north of the city. If this service were extended to the west of the city (as was the case in 2009), for example to the RUH, the demand might increase by about 50%. There is a choice to be made on this matter. A smaller P&R would be less visible to the surrounding area and would allow more scope for mitigation and improved landscaping of the site. A larger site with a bus to the RUH might reduce parking pressures in the city around the RUH and bring additional benefits, at the expense of being more visible within the local area.

One advantage of site B is that it is will be well located to provide access to the existing ‘loop’ on the mainline railway. This loop will be used by the Metro West project to allow a train, either from Severn Beach or Portishead, to return to Bath improving services to both Oldfield Park and Keynsham. While the initial proposal is for this to be an hourly service it offers the potential for a new station at some point in the future allowing a rail service to be offered to the users of the P&R site. The business case for this station has yet to be developed and only preliminary discussions have taken place with the rail industry. While a rail link would represent a significant benefit supporting the choice of Site B relatively little weight can be put on this at the moment. The walking distance from site F to this loop makes this slightly less attractive.

As per the report.