Decision details

Handover of responsibility for Phase 1 of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) Bath City Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor Project from the West of England Combined Authority to Bath & North East Somerset Council.

(1)  To agree that the position of responsible body be assumed by B&NES Council for Phase 1 of the Bath City Centre project, to be delivered according to milestones agreed with the Combined Authority.

(2)  To delegate authority to the Executive Director of Sustainable Communities, in consultation with the S151 Officer, to accept the Grant Offer Letter (GOL) from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority when it is provided.

(3)  To approve capital budget of £455k to develop the Full Business Case (FBC), final Preliminary and Detailed Designs for the scheme. This is entirely funded by CRSTS grant.

(4)  To agree the intention for further approval of grant funding acceptance to be sought at an appropriate time, following Combined Authority approval of the Full Business Case, for delivery of the works associated with the Bath City Centre Phase 1 project.

Improved connectivity for walking, wheeling and cycling across the city centre and to the city’s bus and rail stations, creating continuous walking and cycling links that connect the wider CRSTS programme and enhance existing provision.

Delivery of priority infrastructure in Bath City Centre for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised users.

Improved safety within the city centre, particularly for vulnerable users, by enhancing accessibility and reducing the potential for conflict between walking/wheeling, cycling, Public Transport, and private vehicles.

Positive contribution to a reduction in transport-related emissions, and an improvement in air quality within the city centre, helping Bath to achieve net-zero carbon by 2030.

The Combined Authority could continue to lead the project, with council time limited to an advisory role and Highway approval only. However, the council is the Highway Authority so the delivery of highway interventions would be more complex in this delivery model. Local community engagement will be enhanced through increased cross-service liaison and interfaces with other council projects.

To not proceed with the project beyond its current phase and return CRSTS grant funds to the Combined Authority for distribution across other projects within the sub-region, or to be returned to central government. However, this is a transformational opportunity for the corridors in question and not proceeding would prevent this scale of investment and improvement from taking place.