A4 roadworks
Dear Editor: Work on the A4 Bath to Bristol progresses as investment to start this autumn
Plans to improve sustainable transport links along the A4 between Bath and Bristol are continuing to move forward as construction is set to begin later this year.
Changes have been made to the original scheme, following feedback from residents in a consultation started late last year. You can read the consultation report here.
The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), n partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES), will invest in shared use paths, bus stop upgrades, improved pedestrian crossings, and more bus lanes along the A4 between Saltford and Bath.
The work is set to begin in Autumn 2026 and be completed by the end of 2028.
Residents and businesses will be contacted directly with details of all works and any temporary diversions necessary.
Helen Godwin
Mayor of the West of England
Climate Hub
Dear Editor: I write regarding a recent visit from The Coat of Hopes.
We had a lot of interest but those who didn’t get to see it were really very disappointed.
I write to express our gratitude, acknowledgement, and the hope brought to us at Climate Hub when we hosted and displayed the Coat of Hopes at the Old Ticket Office in the Bath Bus Station, where Climate Hub is based.
The Coat of Hopes is an ever-evolving, community-created patchwork coat on a pilgrimage through Britain. The coat draws attention to the climate and ecological emergency and has walked 2,235 miles to reach Bath. The Coat is visually stunning and has thousands of patches sewn into it with people’s hopes, griefs, and wishes.
It’s been a very moving experience and an honour for our charity and the people of Bath to be involved. Local people embroidered patches which were sewn onto the coat during a mending and sewing event held at the Hub.
Climate Hub staff and volunteers took the coat on a sacred tour of Bath. We thank the Bath Abbey and The Roman Baths teams for allowing us to visit on a very busy Sunday afternoon.
We had an overwhelming response from those in Bath who encountered it. Its visit coincided with the heatwave breaking new records, reminding us that the Climate Emergency is real for the planet and its people, but it also brought us great hope and gratitude. The Coat arrived at the Hub on 19th June and left on 1st July, walking first to Radstock, then continuing through Somerset to Porlock. For those that missed the visit of the coat to Bath and are interested in where it is going, their website is : www.coatofhopes.uk
Climate Hub volunteers are available at the Hub Tuesday through Friday; we welcome anyone to visit us.
Sarah Oughton, Climate Hub Events & Volunteer Coordinator
Movement Strategy
Dear Editor: We in the Green Group on the Council have warned that the Bath Movement Strategy risks becoming a “blame-management framework” unless the council spells out who is responsible for delivering its mode shift targets, and has repeated its call for the long-promised circulation plan, which remains absent.
We support the strategy’s overall direction but feel the ambition isn’t matched by a clear delivery plan.
The strategy’s public transport targets depend on buses, fares and frequencies controlled by WECA and operators, not this council. There’s no funded mass transit scheme for Bath, and no costed plan for the cycling network the targets assume. Liveable Neighbourhoods have quietly become ‘Improved Residential Streets’, which leaves it unclear what will actually reduce through traffic. If those targets aren’t met, the council can’t just blame everyone else — it needs to say now what’s funded, what’s assumed, and what the fallback is.
Cllr Saskia Heijltjes
Lambridge
Twerton Park
Dear Editor: This summer, Bath City FC has delivered one of the most significant packages of ground improvements in the club’s recent history, funded through a combination of grants, sponsorship, crowdfunding, and hundreds of hours of volunteer labour. Together, these works represent a genuine improvement in the matchday experience and accessibility of the Canon Clarke Stadium at Twerton Park, with further works still to come.
As Chair of the club, I am humbled by the efforts of everyone involved. I’ve made a best guess at 500+ volunteer hours, and wouldn’t be surprised if it was double that. There have been volunteers up ladders painting steel girders, clearing blocked gateways, creating new entrances to the ground, taking down hoardings, fitting soundbars, cutting down metal poles, deep cleaning toilets; the list feels endless. My deep thanks go to all of you, too many to name, for giving this old dame of a ground a long overdue facelift and TLC. There is always more we can do, but what has been achieved is immense, and beyond what I thought possible in a single closed season. Thank you!
David McDonagh, Chair
Bath City FC
Independent’s thanks
Dear Editor: Through your letters page I’d like to thank all the Peasedown residents who have been in touch with me over the last couple of years to raise concerns about inadequate parking and the need for traffic calming measures in Wellow Lane and Wellow Mead.
After several meetings with B&NES Council’s Highways Department, I’ve persuaded the council to launch a consultation on proposals to introduce new parking restrictions, new parking bays and traffic calming measures in these streets.
The consultation officially started on July 30th, and letters have been sent to all local households.
I’d encourage residents to respond to this consultation. Local views are important. If any households don’t receive a copy of the council’s letter, please do let me know.
It is hoped that the proposals will act as natural traffic calming measures due to the proposed layout of parking bays.
I’m grateful to all the residents who have contacted me about this issue over the years.
Cllr Karen Walker
Independent, Bath & North East Somerset Council
Post Office
Dear Editor: The closure of Bath’s city centre Post Office on Union Street is not just a disappointment but a significant inconvenience to local residents who rely on access to essential postal services in the heart of Bath. Can the Council ensure Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES) deliver a central post office within one of the many buildings it owns on its city centre estate?
B&NES controls a substantial estate across the city and is currently disposing some of these assets. Surely it can explore whether an existing central location could be used to accommodate a new Post Office.
Cllr Joanna Wright
Group Leader of Green Group