View Lansdown Park & Ride Site on a map
View Newbridge Park & Ride Site on a map
View Odd Down Park & Ride Site on a map
4.17 The Park & Ride sites on the edge of the Bath play an important role in reducing car traffic entering the city. As set out above Park & Ride provision is proposed to be expanded in the Placemaking Plan, with opportunities to now be explored for the Park & Ride sites to act as a transport interchange where people can connect to wider areas through a variety of transport modes. In addition, the Park & Ride sites may also be able to play other beneficial roles by accommodating solar energy infrastructure and potentially household waste recycling facilities. Such uses are not regarded as appropriate development in the Green Belt in national policy. Therefore, in order to facilitate the Council’s objectives, it is considering whether it is appropriate to remove the Park & Ride sites from the Green Belt, and whether there are any exceptional circumstances to do so.
4.18 As part of the existing adopted policy, the waste transfer station at Midland Road in Bath is currently proposed to close and the site be redeveloped for housing. This site represents a sustainable location for new homes. As part of the relocation of the various waste services functions currently provided by the Midland Road site there is a need to consider options for the re-provision of household waste recycling facilities serving the city. A range of options in terms of both size/scale of facilities and potential sites (outside and within the Green Belt) for accommodating these facilities is being assessed. One option includes considering whether the current household waste recycling facility could be replaced by smaller facilities located on each of the Park & Ride sites serving the city.
4.19 Park & Ride sites may also be able to play a beneficial role in delivering solar energy. In the context of the Council’s Climate Emergency declaration and as set out in the Climate Emergency Study: Synthesis of Evidence,the generation of solar energy can play an important part in achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. The opportunities for solar energy are also being assessed through the Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Study (jointly commissioned with Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Councils). Potentially solar cell canopies could be provided over the existing parking spaces in order to also ensure the current park & ride capacity is not reduced. The NPPF makes it clear that renewable energy infrastructure is not normally appropriate development in the Green Belt, but that the benefits of providing energy from renewable sources can contribute to an exceptional circumstances case for removing land from the Green Belt.
4.20 In addition, the Park & Ride sites may also be able to play a beneficial role in supporting Nature Recovery. The Odd Down Park and Ride site already supports species-rich grassland habitat of high value, and so is important for many pollinators including a rare colony of small blue butterflies. There is scope to increase and extend a “pollinator Park” approach to the management of the Park & Ride sites and so help to address the Ecological Emergency. This role would not be incompatible with their current Green Belt status.
4.21 As such the Council is considering whether the function of the Park & Ride sites should change, so that they act as a transport interchange rather than a traditional park & ride plus meeting objectives of providing waste recycling facilities, solar energy generation and nature recovery. If the non-transport uses related to waste recycling and solar energy become a critical part of the strategy the Council will need to ascertain whether, in the context of national policy, the benefits of such uses will contribute to the exceptional circumstances necessary to remove the park & ride sites from the Green Belt.
4.22 In addition to considering Green Belt issues assessment is also needed of other potential harm arising from such development e.g. to ecology or landscape, including the World Heritage Site and its setting and the Cotswolds AONB.
4.23 The Council is therefore considering the option of removing the Park & Ride sites from the Green Belt (subject to demonstrating exceptional circumstances) and allocating land for the provision of household waste recycling facilities and solar energy infrastructure, as well as retaining their existing park and ride function.
Consultation Reference Bath6
Park and Ride
The Council is proposing revised functions for the Park and Ride sites so that they act as a transport interchange; accommodate solar energy infrastructure and potentially accommodate household waste recycling facilities. The implications for the Green Belt and whether the benefits of these uses contribute to exceptional circumstances to remove the sites from the Green Belt will be explored.