Tufa Field – the Supported Housing Scheme – 2024
As of May 2022, Bath and North East Somerset Council has decided to pursue development of the Tufa Field for a sheltered housing scheme.
This scheme intends to preserve some aspects of the main tufa flush but will destroy the two outliers.
At September 2024, the chosen scheme creates nine bungalows and seven apartments, with car parking, service road and landscaping. The Council granted itself Planning Permission on 25th September 2024 and it is now known as the Englishcombe Lane Supported Housing Scheme..
BANES Case Officer, David Macfadyen (development_management@bathnes.gov.uk) has recommended to permit the development, based on the premise that the land is already allocated in the Local Plan for development.
Here are some key points:
- Several mature trees in the bat corridor are to be removed to widen the access. On-site tree-planting is postulated to ‘replace’ these.
- Outlier tufa streams are to be captured and diverted to drains
- Significant drainage works are required to be undertaken to temporarily capture excess surface water
- Multi-level accommodation with limited disabled access is proposed, some dwellings to be dug into the side of the hill
- Significant groundworks required to cope with multiple level changes
- A&S Police concerns over site safety for residents dismissed
- A Biodiversity net loss of -51.24% for the watercourse, and -11.11% for the habitat. This will need to be resolved by external credits and on-site improvements. It is not clear how the mandatory target of +10%, or the declared target of +20%, can be achieved.
- BANES Ecology officer prefers the option of using the site as a source of much-needed Biodiversity Net Gain credits, an opinion with which we concur. Her Report here
- Some aspects of the Ecology plan still embed a translocation element, a policy now discredited among Ecologists
Arcadis have presented a scheme prior to planning permission application that is described here, although lacking much meaningful detail.
Costs and Value for Money
In order to explore the feasibility of this approach, £320k has been spent to carry out investigations. Initial estimates for costs for the complete scheme are £6M. This however can only be regarded as an unlikely estimate, being based on standard development costs for greenfield sites and does not account for either the complex groundwork conditions, nor the costs associated with avoiding collateral damage to the sensitive site.
The report for Cabinet is here. Development Update Land to rear of 89 123 Englishcombe Lane Southdown Bath
The official Capital Expenditure reference is CAP2223027 . In the November 2024 Capital Budget program £438,000 has been allocated to this scheme under the Built Environment and Sustainable Development Capital Scheme. No further cost estimates or allocations have been declared. As these are revealed, they will be reported here.
Estimated start date for the scheme as of November 2024 is ‘Summer 2025’.
Planning Conditions
There are 27 conditions required to be fulfilled for development to commence. These can be seen here.
Of these, Condition 7 Biodiversity net gain is the most controversial. This requires the developer to submit a 30 year plan conforming to the Town and Country Planning Act to deliver a BNG of a minimum of 10%, despite public announcements that a minimum of 20% would be set as a goal. This is to be achieved using off-site compensation at locations yet to be determined.
Biodiversity net gain is itself a controversial subject. So far only 11 sites in the UK totalling 250 ha have been successfully registered.
Detailed plans as submitted for approval are available here :
General Overview:
Building Plan, Eastern Section
Building Plan, Western Section
Architecture:
Landscaping:
Drainage:cuckold
Sustainable Drainage Strategy Appendix.
Drainage and Flooding Consultation Comments
Environmental:
Biodiversity Net Gain report (printable) and spreadsheet (original)
Fire and Emergency:
Lighting:
Refuse:
Highways and Transport:
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