Nicholas Pearson Associates provide strategic landscape assessment and green infrastructure advice to facilitate the Community Asset Transfer of Bathampton Meadows.
The plan will transfer ownership of the land from Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council to the National Trust, leading to future opportunities for landscape and biodiversity enhancements and improvements to public access.
The landscape and greenspaces to the east of Bath, including areas of water meadows such as Bathampton Meadow, alongside the River Avon, form an important part of the City of Bath World Heritage Site and its setting. The landscape is visible from many vantage points around the city including from Little Solsbury Hill and the Bath Skyline Walk at Bathampton Down.
Nicholas Pearson Associates has provided landscape assessment and green infrastructure advice on these areas to a range of stakeholders, including the National Trust and members of the local community such as the Bathampton Meadows Alliance. As part of the work we researched existing paths and routes, recreational amenities and key landscape features, highlighting a range of opportunities for landscape and biodiversity enhancements as well as improvements to public access and active travel. We prepared plans which illustrated these opportunities to facilitate consultations and inform future green infrastructure planning.
This advice on green infrastructure was a key part of the evidence which informed the business plan for the Community Asset Transfer of Bathampton Meadows. Once transfered, the plan will work to maximise the benefits of the site including:
- working with local communities to increase access
- creating recreation and volunteering opportunities
- developing a range of community programmes and events
- working with partners to create an accessible active travel route
- encouraging walking and cycling
- increasing health and well-being benefits
- improving habitats and biodiversity
The National Trust will also be able to work with neighbouring landowners, such as Avon Wildlife Trust, to develop a joint management plan, supporting the delivery of a Nature Recovery Network.
Councillor Dine Romero, former Leader of the council has stated: “Bathampton Meadows is of huge significance to our communities and beyond. Securing its future is crucial to our Bath River Line project which we are developing with support from the West of England Combined Authority. We want to improve the towpath, parks, open spaces and public realm next to the river to benefit our communities and nature and support sustainable transport infrastructure. Transferring Bathampton Meadows to the National Trust would help us to meet those objectives while supporting our commitment to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and achieve carbon neutrality in Bath and North East Somerset by 2030.”
Bathampton Meadows Alliance said “Nicholas Pearson Associates advice was pretty fundamental to helping Bathampton Meadows Alliance crystallise the vision, and it’s clear that the business plan has drawn upon this.”
For more information on our Strategic Advice, Landscape Assessment & Green Infrastructure consultancy, please contact Simon Kale.
Feature photograph courtesy of Bristol Natural History Consortium