BATH CITY CONFERENCE, 2 MAY 2012 – SUMMARY OF FEEDBACK

Area Headline theme Individual commentsTransport We have a problem with traffic,

congestion and pollution.Traffic, congestion.

Traffic congestion.

Less traffic

Traffic (not going so well).

Traffic flow (not going so well).

Traffic congestion & pollution.

Congestion on roads / severe air pollution.

Pollution, Traffic, Buses.

Cleaner air.

Traffic free more than now.

Congestion is bad for pollution, which means our health, and the economy, so we need to find a way of taking cars off our roads and allowing people to get around by other means.

Bath's overwhelming retail-dominated economy can't support people with expensive houses, so many of them commute to Bristol, Swindon and further to support their lifestyles; those who do work in Bath often can't afford to live here even if they'd like to ...So there's a constant, twice-a-day population swap which...is utterly crazy.

Proper by pass for Bath

More 20mph on roads, eg Walcot St.

20mph traffic flow.

Have free-flowing traffic / remove traffic obstructions.

Too many traffic lights.

No cars unless disabled

Join A46 with A36 out of Bath

We need a transport strategy to address it.

A plan to tackle traffic & pollution.

Agree a transport policy and start to implement it.

Integrated transport strategy.

Peter Hendy into the transport strategy.

Traffic management.

Improving transport.

Transport improvements to match tourism/hotel growth.

Transport/public transport/management of private access (not going so well).

Investment in highway improvements/potholes.

No-car zones around schools

The strategy needs to cover better, more affordable public transport...

Cheaper public transport

Reduce bus costs to be affordable and therefore reduce cars.

Much better public transport – cheaper fares.

Our buses are too expensive, and the services in from surrounding villages are poor.

Direct bus route to Heathrow

Try free buses.

Evening public transport.

Late night public transport.

Flexibility of bus (and Dial A Ride) services (not going so well).

Have a conversation about priorities on buses, 1 yr olds & young mums push older folk up the bus, tho’ they are unstable.

Put Bath buses under Council control like Bristol proposes. Rename it Bath Regional Transport (see WDP today, 02 May 2012)

Traffic light priority for buses.

Forward information on bus services (not going so well).

Provide real-time bus information everywhere.

Better buses to Shoscombe.

Buses to have a bike rack somewhere (on back?).

20mph bus lanes.

Direct bus to Bristol airport.

Direct bus to Heathrow.

School buses not private cars for less traffic.

Cheaper student transport

…traffic restrictions and more pedestrianisation in the city centre;

Traffic management – mainly major traffic routes through the city.

Traffic is quite bad, particularly in the city centre.

People keep on left of path

Banning traffic from the centre.

No cars (except disabled).

Eliminate traffic from city centre & relieve pollution.

Stop driving through historic centres (particularly HGVs) – destroying our WHS with pollution and traffic.

Make small central zone a ‘bus transit mall’ or a zone of ‘walking pace’.

Try having traffic free days.

Try trial closures of Queen Square & Circus.

Status of traffic in WHS icons, eg Queen Square & Circus.

Consider closing the centre of Bath to traffic for special occasions once a month.

Close city centre on weekends

More pedestrianisation.

Try more pedestrianisation.

Pedestrian friendly streets (city centre) on weekends (closed to traffic).

Do more pedestrianisation.

Milsom St traffic free.

Close Milsom St to traffic (except deliveries etc).

Pedestrianise Milsom Street.

Pedestrianise Milsom Street & surrounding xxx

Pedestrianise Milsom Street and adjoining side streets.

Traffic decisions – especially Dorchester St and the closure of Pulteney Bridge (& Pulteney Street buses) (not going so well).

Traffic free city centre (free space) + easier & cheaper bus travel and token scheme extended to Moorland Rd, Chelsea Rd and other community hubs.

Restrict commercial deliveries to early morning and evening, to reduce

congestion and encourage use of freight consolidation system.

Reclaim human street layout of Kingsmead

...restraint on Heavy Goods Vehicles...

Remove Heavy Goods Vehicles.

Stop HGVs going through.

Restrict HGV through Bath

Ban large vehicles and buses.

Introduce a low weight limit in the city & through routes.

HGV through traffic/non stop coaches (not going so well).

Stop allowing very large trucks in the city centre during busy times.

HGV ban over Cleveland Bridge.

Specified loading/offloading times for deliveries.

…less traffic on the London Road and new measures to keep traffic out of Bath...

Stop heavy lorry traffic along London Road & A36.

Centre lane in London Road reversed between am and pm.

Pollution on London Road.

Pod transport along London Road.

Connect the A46 & A36 without going over Cleveland Bridge (ie improve London Road).

With Wiltshire Council to jointly build new road to bypass Cleveland Bridge.

Join A4E and A36 east of Bath

Better road to and from Bath.

Bypass the city effectively - end gridlock on access & egress routes

…a policy for car parking, including Park & Ride...

Parking.

Parking.

Parking policy.

Reduce parking charges.

Cheaper parking in city centre or cheaper park & ride.

Cheaper parking.

Stop group parking permits to Council officers, to encourage green transport.

Parking – lack of off-street provision.

Commuters car park far end Charlotte Street.

We need to actively encourage people in - and that means parking! It’s rubbish no cars.

Use car parking better as a cash cow.

Wish Park & Ride on east side of Bath.

No Park & Ride on Sundays.

Cable car links to Lansdown Park & Ride.

Reinstate Batheaston Park & Ride.

Charge for city centre parking on Sunday, so as not to undermine the Park & Ride.

Out of town parking and good drop off points

…restrictions on coach traffic... Coach traffic.

City centre coach ban with reducing parking fee the longer the coach stops at the coach park.

Reduce parking charge if coaches stop longer.

Stop coaches parking in residential streets instead of coach parks.

Bigger coach park near, but not in, city centre.

…a better deal for cyclists... A focus on cyclists rather than cars.

Better city centre cycling.

More bikes in town.

More bike racks

Safe and consistent cycle lanes with no cars parked on them and easily marked! Like Southampton!

Lack of safe cycle routes from suburbs to centre.

Cycle lane up Brassknocker Hill for safety and eased traffic.

Stop cyclists on pavements.

Bikes off pavements!

Combined pedestrian cyclist pathways.

Speed restriction for bikes on shared paths.

Everyone keep left on shared paths.

Better cycle lanes for school children

…rail improvements... Trains (not going so well).

Use of rail more for commuters.

Faster train service to London.

Reopen Saltford station.

Reopen Corsham railway station

Reopen Saltford + Corsham + Bathampton railway stations.

Bathampton station

Double decker rail/road transit route using railway.

…use of the river for transport... River buses.

Use of river to move people east and west.

River buses from Boat House/Park & Ride through Twerton Lock to Bath.

River Bus from Batheaston to Pulteney Weir, and from Pulteney Weir to Newbridge.

…and encouragement of other alternatives to the private car.

Specific parking for electric vehicles.

More electric vehicles.

Trams

More city centre car club business uses

No car zones around schools

Leisure We want better leisure facilities for younger and older people...

My 14 year old daughter and her friends would like a bowling/ leisure facility in Bath.

Entertainment – bowling/ice rink.

Need more for young people to do.

Investment in play spaces.

Build large indoor play scape.

Provide more sporting facilities – indoor bowling, table tennis / more low-cost activities for older people.

Outdoor gym equipment.

Stop assuming that events are affordable, when they are not.

…a proper arts/concert/conference centre...

Arts centre!!

No decent concert venue.

Wish for a decent concert/conference venue.

New conference and concert facility (purpose designed).

Build an arts centre with a great performance/conference facility + education & youth facilities.

An arts centre that is non-judgemental of the progress of ??? painting, theatre etc and open to all levels of ability/age/???

Concert Hall and Opera house Events Hall where you could run conferences for over 2000 people (inc. multiple separate rooms)

Lack of dedicated cultural facilities (ie properly equipped).

Get planning gain money to pay for improved cultural facilities.

Engage with Casino

…more festivals and events... Bring back old Bath Festival.

More festivals, parks, heritage museums, arts, galleries, good time living.

Look at how we could have a mini-wildlife festival, like the Bristol one. Commemorate Herschel’s discovery of Uranus in 2013.

Annual Morris Minor rallies.

Winter Sports Centre (University of Bath) including ice rink, ski slope, sledging, Gondola chair lift (views over Bath). Create a mini switz village with log cabins restaurant and coffee house Pay to play croquet.

Less funding for Bath Festival and more funding for local events

…with better publicity for them... Advertise events more & incentives to visit/attend.

Impossible to promote festivals and events in the public realm.

Sort out banners/street dressing policy so festivals etc can be promoted better.

Allow publicity banners/posters for cultural events.

Celebrating & publicising ‘below the radar’ events & activity (not going so well).

Digital information on cultural events (not going so well).

Increase information, without relying on mobile phone.

…and more funding and support. Support arts organisations properly.

Cultural support & funding /cultural tourism (not going so well).

Increase funding for arts & culture.

Arts Council could support.

We want a safer and more civilised evening economy;

Give better choice of things to do – at lunchtime and between 5.00 pm and 7.30 pm.

Night time economy (not going so well).

Stimulate evening economy & extend evening shopping.

Wish better, safer night time economy.

Stop granting any more alcohol licences.

Control of evening rowdiness and drunkenness.

Limit pub & club opening hours during working week.

Stop behaviour which stops families coming in at night.

Wish to be safe if out at night.

Stop street drinking.

Community safety zone.

B&NES Council

The Council needs to promote a clearer vision for Bath...

Lack of an overall strategy for city.

Lack of overall vision for Bath.

Need better communication of Council’s vision for the city.

Specific issues are picked off one at a time rather than any overall strategic plan (transport, housing etc).

Stop dead hand of government.

Need imaginative local government.

…it needs to engage properly with all sectors of the community.

Not much voice for local residents.

Council could help, with the involvement of residents’ associations.

Have more dynamic ways than PACT meetings for gathering people’s views & priorities: eg internet; drop-ins in local cafes; people’s assemblies (around geography & around specified issues); walkabouts in areas; direct consultation of specific groups; to create database of activists and issues in Bath community.

Community encouragement.

More support for local communities.

Get more community involvement.

Partnership working (not going so well).

Try actually asking residents of poorer communities what they want/need.

Take more notice of the needs of city centre residents.

More engagement with faith communities and support of them where they’re

delivering particularly with local communities.

More finance for voluntary organisations (inc faith communities who are delivering positive outcomes in communities).

More consultation of priorities such as Oldfield Lib Dems before election.

Improve participation within smaller residential communities (parish size) and local choice of activities in the City of Bath.

Integrate elite with community groups.

Businesses take in local people’s views when making investment decisions.

Business involvement.

Council could provide facilities for a group interested in an event.

Hard to understand how local democracy and procedures work – hard to see how local voices are heard.

Try enabling local communities within the city to count for more in influencing activities and policies.

Make participation and consultation REAL.

Writing shorter documents so that less well educated people can be included and not put off.

Use more Task & Finish Groups to deal with issues.

More transparency and accountability

More direct accountability

More joined up organisations/services

Councillors should avoid party point-scoring.

Disruption caused by frequent local authority leadership changes – need more consistency in policy making.

Wish that Councillors put party politics to one side.

Too much backbiting between political parties.

The Council should exercise its enforcement responsibilities properly...

Grant more regulatory powers to B&NES.

Try enforcement of existing regs to give a true baseline of what needs to be done.

Do more enforcement.

Enforce local byelaws properly, or else scrap them and the enforcement officers.

…and it should consider these other suggestions.

Persuade all Council officers to obey the law, eg:

Access to information, FoI Act

Access to personal data

Brief ALL employees on city wide policies…”Oh, I’m not in that section” should not apply.

Moving Council accounts to an ethical bank.

Bring Highways department under planning & World Heritage control.

Developing a social policy to preclude the letting of our public buildings for immoral purposes like the Drones sales conference.

Reduce entertainment costs of Council functions.

Executive Mayor

A charter promoting black pupil achievement

Using Webcam in conferences etc

Public realm /open spaces

We want more and better public spaces, and implementation of the Public Realm & Movement Programme...

More social spaces.

Making more informal social spaces.

More open space.

Loads of connected, accessible community spaces which are attractive to be in.

Improving green spaces more.

Greener (more trees).

More trees.

Tend trees and green spaces.

Flower clock.

Create a replicate Sulis temple with fountains in the square with flowering trees and rose gardens. Create a section of old city wall.

Wish for seats in public places.

Take more account of need for weather protection in public places.

Shatter sacred cows – build a temporary structure somewhere sacred, eg Royal Crescent.

Improving the riverside.

Implement the public realm & movement strategy.

Council could implement a strategic agenda for development of public realm & movement.

We need a homeless shelter

Bath needs a wet house

Create use for derelict buildings

…the spaces we’ve got need to be Quality of streetscape & key public spaces/upkeep – rejuvenate key public

better looked after... spaces.

Public realm.

State of the public realm, particularly paving – needs uplift.

Paving stones uneven.

Appearance of street paving (? dangerous).

Stop parking on pavements.

Reinstate cobbled surfaces to streets, to add to visitor experience and slow down traffic.

Stop litter!

Try solar compacting litterbins.

Litter in non city centre streets / try extra rubbish collections.

Pavement cleaning.

Do more street cleaning.

Seagulls.

Too many gulls and pigeons.

Stop chewing gum in the streets.

Stop letting buskers use amplification.

Entertainment & buskers.

Charity workers ruining a good walk

Public slip ways to river

Community Safety zone in town

Investment in play spaces

Architecture needs to look similar to Georgian buildings we have now

…with stronger control over waste collections...

Appoint a single commercial waste collector on a tight contract requiring clean up of spillages.

Provide collapsible waste bins to protect domestic refuse, especially for businesses.

Enforce use of food waste bins.

Better management of street clutter

Litter bins that are not rusty

…better public toilets; Wish for public toilets.

More lavatories.

Coach park toilets very bad!!

…and better signage. Signposts and street signs to be cleaned regularly and replaced when necessary.

Do a survey of street name/plates in Bath - clean or replace those that are damaged

Signage!!! Confuses tourists with too many words. Adopt universal symbols, eg a X at Pulteney Bridge xxxxx.

Street furniture and for children Southgate.

Reorientate the public realm ‘monoliths’ so that they don’t obstruct the pavement.

Better street lighting.

New King St and Great Stanhope St lights to be in keeping – ie “Request” not Sydney Place.

Specific regeneration

Regeneration should be targeted on areas of need...

Focus attention on areas of need; building capacity, refurbishing buildings.

Try putting resources into communities of need – building on their capacity to

sites do more for themselves.

Local communities could be open to working with their neighbours on issues that affect them.

Stop over development

Restrict maximum building height

Money spent on tourist attractions

…on the riverside; Develop the river corridor.

Use the river more - revive the river as part of the city.

River corridor.

A new walking route along the river in the centre of town.

Enhanced river walks.

Public slip ways for river

Better use of riverside.

Access to river.

Complete waste of the potential of riverside.

River management & use.

Improve the riverside throughout the city.

Use of river’s assets.

Quick wins on the river corridor.

Parade Gardens dug out to create a lake with Grand Parade as Waterfront.

Regenerate colonnades under Grand Parade.

Turn rugby ground into a lake.

Human sized development – not the Western Riverside

…at Green Park; Make Green Park into a “Covent Garden” for Bath.

Turn Green Park Station into Bath’s exhibition centre.

Art/sport/leisure uses for Green Park Station. Architectural competition for any new building.

Get Green Park Station turned into Bath’s exhibition centre.

Start charging for the car park and create a coach park

Improve allocation of green spaces, eg Green Park.

…on London Road and Snow Hill; London Road/Snow Hill regeneration:

“An alternative vision for London Road and Snow Hill”, public speech Guildhall, 12 June 2008: Snow Hill skills and enterprise initiative. (Business plan available on internet.)

Underdevelopment of buildings on London Road.

…at the Cleveland Pools; Refurbish Cleveland pool with water taxi delivery River taxi Weston Island – a water sports island and activity.

Restore and protect Cleveland Pools.

Reopen the Cleveland Pools.

Pools.

…and on various other sites Status of Bath Rugby Ground.

Get planning or plans in place to speed up the change in use for Herman Miller and Bath Press – sites fast becoming eyesores.

Relocate Royal Mail sorting office to South Quay.

To resurrect the beautiful toilet facilities of Bog Island for visitors and locals. Move Avon Street car park and coach park underground and put any further car parking underground Make the road underground from Churchill bridge to Green Park so the park can stretch from the river.

Cattlemarket area – (not going so well) for so many years.

Turn Walcot into boulevard with tree, please!

Erect a war memorial at Southgate for those who lost their lives in old church site in that area.

Heritage We want better and more varied museums, and heritage events...

A city museum which will consolidate the different historical periods & social history characterising Bath.

A city museum with archive section from the Guildhall.

The archive section in the Guildhall is very small. It requires accommodation/recognition it deserves in such an important city. This could be incorporated into a museum, perhaps in the old Stothert & Pitt site on Lower Bristol Road.

Support for broad heritage (industrial) not going so well.

Bath’s Georgian heritage, and Roman, is important, but there are so many other periods which tell its unique story – Saxon, medieval, civil war, Victorian and 20th century.

Various good exhibitions are given on Bath’s post war planning, past ideas for development in Bath, and the latest Bath Blitz but then they are all stored away. The “Sack of Bath” in the 1960s-70s is another part of its history we could all learn from.

Make Roman Baths more interactive.

Promote buildings history to tourists.

Wish that Bath really lived up to its status as a World Heritage City in every way – environmentally and economically.

More good museums & galleries.

Independent museums (not going so well).

Joint heritage events in city centre (eg Museums at Night).

More heritage events.

Economy We want more promotion of the city and support for local businesses...

Promote the city more.

Better promotion of the city: get its image right.

Coordination of tourist facilities for quality image etc.

Support local businesses.

Support independent businesses.

Develop healthier outlook for businesses coming to Bath.

Economic help with new businesses.

Benchmarking good ideas from elsewhere.

Stop advertising Bristol in the city – control bus company adverts.

More office space

…a recognition that Bath has its economic and social problems...

Pockets of deprivation across city.

Government to recognise that B&NES is not inherently a wealthy area.

Stop only thinking of tourists, ignoring locals.

Bath needs a wet house.

Bigger homeless shelter.

…a better range of shops... More independent shops.

Attract a wider range of shops.

Empty shops.

Empty shops (not going so well).

Try later opening of shops.

Encourage commerce within the heritage.

…(but affordable for local people, and not more supermarkets)...

Make it affordable – who can afford designer shops/clothes; bring in Primark & Wilkinsons, I have to go elsewhere to shop! Also get rid of Sainsbury’s monopoly, encourage Asda or Tesco to open a store here.

Is the Sainsbury's £160 million plans for a new store the one in Westfield or a re-hash of the one at Green Park?

What is it with B&NES & Sainsburys? More choice!

Engage with Sainsbury.

Engage with Casino idea

Fewer supermarkets.

Favour localisation – no more Tescos!

Low carbon economic vibrancy

…more varied business and enterprise...

More office space.

Provide the needs for a vibrant knowledge economy.

Need more light industry.

Manufacturing industry (not going so well).

No big businesses here.

Encourage local social enterprise.

Encourage social enterprise for economic growth.

Improving training/retraining for established workmen in a city with many buildings needing attention.

Train residents to help tourists.

Economic help with small businesses

…more investment in young people...

Invest in youth projects.

Bring more students in.

Encourage young people to stay & live here.

Bath University to assist creation of economic hubs.

Stop allowing our young people to be demonised and ignored.

Try supporting ALL young people.

Better state secondary schools.

Forward planning on future educational needs (not going so well).

A charter promoting black pupil achievement.

Try teaching young people old skills, eg knitting, crochet, which need one-to-one tuition.

Wish that young people were not given ASBOs so much.

Large in door play space for young people

…and older people... Develop Bath as an age-friendly neighbourhood, following WHO initiative.

Bring back “community education” – the courses at Bath College are too expensive.

Wish for places for old people to meet, combating loneliness.

…and more affordable housing. Affordable housing.

Wish cheaper place to live.

Housing for young people (?self build).

Make rent affordable.

Housing outweighs traffic. Perhaps a door-knocking session in Foxhill and

some of the other estates wouldn't go amiss to get their voices heard to add to this. You may well find that traffic isn't their overwhelming concern at this juncture.

Community The Community needs to be engaged and motivated...

Be proud of Bath.

Motivate people to take actions in a positive way, to improve their life, community and Bath.

Build on positive action in community.

Motivation of whole of Bath population.

Continue to develop other organisations to work towards a better Bath.

Get a sense of adventure in the city: stop it being a retirement home; stop people treating Bath as a convenient place to get off and die.

The creativity and diversity of the community is rarely reflected in flagship events – many local people are priced out of cultural events or left out of consultations / wish that Bath could reflect all the economic levels, not just the well off / support ALL, not just socially acceptable.

“Others” should co-operate, listen to and value dissent.

If everyone in Bath bar under 15s (inc unemployed) put in the pot every day your small change & gave the pot every week to BCC, your economic problems would be greatly improved.

Support for smaller charities (not going so well).

Planning We need more affordable housing...

Ensure public realm and housing developments consider the needs of children and young people.

The building of social housing, so that all people who work in this city can also afford to live here, not just the affluent.

Lack of affordable housing.

House prices too high.

Locals struggle to afford houses, and so move out.

Somer should sell off properties in heritage areas, and reinvest the money in purpose –built social housing.

…more sensitive new developments...

Reconfigure all the “Sack of Bath” areas to reclaim human streetscape.

Modern architecture, not look-alike Georgian.

Human scale development, not the Western Riverside.

Ensure new development embraces sustainable conservation practices.

More green public space in new developments.

Need more planning control.

…better governance in Bath... Localism & increasing this in practice very locally.

Have a city-centric “parish council”.

Residents register to receive details of any planning application in their area.

…and consideration of these other issues.

Too many students concentrated in particular areas mean a loss of feeling of community.

Try confronting Nimbyism.

Reduce costs for empty properties.

Actions for sustainability

We want more local energy production...

Push further forward with micro/local energy production.

New river crossings to incorporate green energy sources.

Use heat from Spa springs.

Solar roofs on Council buildings.

…and a range of other initiatives. Stop shopkeepers keeping open their doors in winter.

Green issues – less traffic, energy efficiency in homes, businesses etc, solar energy, recycling industries.

Develop “Bath Big Green Week” like the Bristol model.

Promote being green

Local food security.

Don’t use water meadows for flood mitigation.

Comments on the Bath City Conference

Practical arrangements at this conference.

Fantastic, except we were based downstairs where we had less footfall & everyone disappeared at 6.30! We felt upstairs stall holders had a lot more benefits.

Next year, better signing to the back rooms of the exhibition.

Less background noise.

Suggestions for the future. I sincerely hope that this novel (for Bath) consultation is more than a publicity stunt.

A conference running from lunchtime to early evening is not going to attract many working or child caring people - in fact it looks designed to pull in the "usual crowd"

Perhaps a better alternative would be to dispense with the big set piece speeches, put together a series of short five minute presentations that could be run on laptops, and then set up roadshows in areas where people might be already - e.g. local shopping centres, in the car park at the supermarkets etc and at weekends, so that people get drawn in whilst going about their normal activities, and can give feedback/suggestions whilst they are there.

I hope that B&NES will be arranging a similar conference for the non-city part of their area of responsibility

More inclusion within the existing Goldies singing sessions.

Interesting to note that both the Sue Hill School of Dance and the Golden Oldies are both based in the Midsomer Norton / Westfield / Radstock area and not Bath City. Doesn't Bath City have anybody of the quality of these 2 superb organisations?

Encourage debate active citizenship.