Odd Down Site Options
This area is located to the south west of the existing Park and Ride, and to the south east of the A367. It is within the Green Belt, within the indicative setting of the World Heritage Sites outside but adjacent to the boundary of the Cotswolds National Landscape, and part of the area is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. In addition, there are known to be small blue butterflies in the area. It is less than 2 km from the Bath & Bradford on Avon Bats Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designated in part due to its internationally important populations of Horseshoe and Bechstein bats. The area is likely to contain key commuting and foraging/feeding habitats for the bat populations of the SAC.
This area is proposed as an option for development for the first time in this local plan and two different sized site options are proposed and both are identified as potential employment sites. This will assist in serving the city, enabling the regeneration of more central sites, and help to meet evidenced need. Employment uses in this location are on the same corridor as the successful Bath Business Park at Peasedown St John, where options for its extension are set out in chapter 7 as part of the wider strategy for addressing the need for more employment uses.
The land to the north west of the A367 is not proposed to be allocated as evidence indicates that development in this location would be likely to result in substantial harm to the World Heritage Sites and other heritage issues and would result in moderate to high landscape sensitivity. In addition, there are understood to be geological and land stability concerns about development in this area.
Option 1 excludes the existing Bath Waste Recycling business and Option 2 includes it. There has not been any discussion about this potential allocation with the existing business and discussions will need to take place as part of the public consultation. It is not envisaged that the potential allocation would have any direct impact on their current operations.
A site allocation would provide a clear policy framework that would allow further employment uses to come forward in this area, subject to a set of development requirements and design principles. These are yet to be drafted but they would seek to ensure that any development proposals are responsive to the sensitive context of the site and protect valued assets.
Odd Down Option 1 – Indicative plan
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Odd Down Option 2 – Indicative plan
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