Decision details
Approval to refurbish end of life leaf composting bays and improve access at three allotment sites
Decision Maker: Director Environment
Decision status: Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Purpose:
The Parks Service needs to make improvements
to access and green waste storage facilities at four (or five if
funds permit) allotment sites across Bath – to replace end of
life, and poorly accessible, gates and composting bays; and to
re-surface access tracks across allotments and reinforce surfaces
at working areas to ensure that teams can continue to maintain
allotment spaces and manage compost efficiently. All of the
allotments in question have some level of access for vehicles and
some composting facilities – most have hard surfaced tracks
which were installed years ago and not maintained in recent years
– but in all the locations identified for the purpose of this
PID improvements are required to bring surfaces up to scratch and
enable existing parks vehicles to use them in all weather
conditions (and into the winter months).
Decision:
To fully approve capital amounting to
£50,000 for access improvements and green waste storage
facilities at three allotment sites (Monksdale, Bloomfield Road and
Lower Common East).
Alternative options considered:
Option 1 - The service has been unable to
advance proposals for a single large, comprehensive green waste
facility at Lansdown (due to planning and logistical issues) and is
currently composting leaves and other green waste at a number of
different parks’ sites using existing equipment. However
there has been significant opposition to the composting of leaves
in parks in recent years (with a decision being made by the Cabinet
Member to cease composting operation in parks) and conversely a
strong demand from our customers (allotment holders) for leaf
compost for use as a soil improver on their plots.
Many of the leaves collected in parks and sports grounds are
composted at facilities in existing allotments but without this
investment in all-weather facilities, some would need to be sent to
landfill which is estimated to cost between
£6-£10,000/year. The service has also discussed the
challenge of green waste management with third parties (e.g. Wessex
Water) in seeking to find an alternative solution, but - to date -
the service has been unable to develop an alternative.
Option 2 -
Option 3 -
Publication date: 19/03/2019
Date of decision: 19/03/2019