By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: Bath’s Green councillors have welcomed news that a controversial bus gate in the east of the city will not go ahead — but warned that the council needs a whole new approach to its liveable neighbourhoods.
Bath and North East Somerset Council announced on February 18 that it was dropping plans to install a bus gate at the crossroads where Camden Road/Eastbourne Avenue meets Fairfield Road and Tyning Lane. It formed part of the council’s liveable neighbourhood programme but locals, including a local GP surgery and an alliance of 24 residents associations, had warned against the plan.
It also faced strong opposition from the Green councillors for the neighbouring ward of Lambridge, Joanna Wright and Saskia Heijltjes (main picture). Ms Wright said: “The cancellation is a small victory for residents, but it highlights the incompetence of a council more focused on winning the votes of a few than actually listening to the concerns of the community. This is not the way to plan for a better Bath or create liveable neighbourhoods.”
Ms Wright had written the council’s liveable neighbourhood policy when she was a Liberal Democrat cabinet member before defecting to the Green Party in 2021. But she has since criticised how the policy has been implemented, saying the council have not properly followed the policy and have not planned for where displaced traffic will go.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Service before the planned bus gate was cancelled, she warned: “You are pushing all that traffic down through Snow Hill, through one of the poorest residential areas in Bath, so that wealthier people at the top don’t have any traffic.” The Greens are now calling for a “community-led” liveable neighbourhood for the east of Bath “that benefits the entire community, not just a select few.”
The liveable neighbourhood programme aims to reduce traffic through residential streets and make them safer and more attractive for walking and cycling. But locals had warned this bus gate would make the area’s traffic problems worse.
In a letter to people in the area on February 18, council leader Kevin Guy said: “I want to assure you that we are listening closely to the concerns raised by residents and Walcot ward councillors. On January 28th, I was presented with a draft plan proposed by consultants and council officers for further public engagement in February.
“After reviewing the plan and consulting with cabinet colleagues and Walcot ward councillors, it became clear that the complexities of the area meant that the draft proposals — while prioritising buses and stopping unwanted cut-through traffic on Camden Road — also meant that traffic challenges would continue in the immediate and wider area.
“As a result, I have decided to stop this specific proposal and instead focus on exploring a broader solution that addresses the traffic concerns across Walcot, Larkhall, and Lambridge. The issue of through-traffic avoiding the busy London Road and using residential streets remains a pressing concern for every resident I’ve spoken to.
“I am therefore committed to working with local residents, businesses, and elected members to tackle this complex issue once external funding becomes available.”
He said that the council would “re-engage with the community to develop a wider Liveable Neighbourhood plan over a longer time” to address traffic issues in the east of Bath. But he warned it could be several years until external funding becomes available again.
Bath and North East Somerset Council is run by the Liberal Democrats who have 40 councillors, with the Greens an opposition group with three. Ms Wright and Ms Heijltjes are inviting the community to a public meeting at the New Oriel Hall on Wednesday 19 March, from 6-7.15 pm to hear their thoughts on a better plan for our community.
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