Bath Rugby has submitted a planning application for a new Stadium for Bath. The proposed development is for a permanent 18,000-seat stadium at The Recreation Ground, Bath. Nicholas Pearson Associates advised the client on landscape and visual issues throughout the design development process. We also prepared a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) and the Verified Visual Montages (VVM), which form a key part of the planning application.

Located next to the River Avon in central Bath, the site’s landscape setting and visibility are sensitive.

Various planning designations relate to the site. These include:

• 2 World Heritage Sites
• The Bath Conservation Area
• The nearby Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

This sensitive context informed the development proposals with the ambition to identify and address potential landscape and visual effects.

Design actions taken include:

• Repositioning the stadium back from the river to keep existing mature trees and provide an enhanced riverside landscape and public realm.
• Moderating the height of the proposed stands to optimise views to the pitch and retain views of the green hillsides surrounding the city.
• The composition of separate elements assists with the integration of the development into its context. The design composition of separate stands, which assists with contextual integration.
• The design of the north stand as an open structure, minimising local visual effects and retaining key views southwards.

The proposed stadium includes a range of facilities to increase community use and enliven the eastern side of the river.

The Environmental Statement (ES) includes an LVIA technical chapter, with the scope and method agreed with statutory consultees.

The design and consultation process used our VVMs to assist stakeholders in their understanding of the proposals. The final VVM forms part of the information submitted for planning, supporting the LVIA and Heritage Assessment.

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