[Green Councillor Joanna Wright pictured on a public footpath that runs close to the barn]
A recent BANES Planning committee approval, by five votes to four, in favour of permitting a former barn to become a 4-bedroom home, has come in for criticism.
Green Group Leader and Lambridge Ward Councillor Joanna Wright attended the meeting to represent residents and request that the planning application be refused.
The site in question is in Bath Avon North ward, but ward councillors for Bath Avon North, the Leader of B&NES Council, Cllr Kevin Guy, and Deputy Leader, Cllr Sarah Warren, did not apparently speak at the Planning meeting. Lambridge ward is adjacent to the site.
Councillor Wright said
“I am staggered that the ward councillors for Bath Avon North did not attend this meeting and defend the green belt on the flanks of the world-famous Solsbury Hill. They regularly claim that they are advocating for nature-positive outcomes for B&NES. Yet in their own ward, they have chosen not to speak up.”
The site of the proposed barn conversion sits below Solsbury Hill, part of the historic Bath Skyline and managed by the National Trust. The site can be seen from many locations within B&NES, including the canal tow path, Claverton Valley, or Bathampton Down.
Councillor Wright said
“This site is a local and a national treasure and should be protected. The site has already had permission for one house to be built on the condition that another house is demolished. I despair of how the Labour Government has allowed changes to the planning system that now allow for former agricultural buildings to be converted to housing.”
The Green councillors said they question the local Liberal Democrats’ commitment to protecting the green belt by not attending the planning committee meeting and requesting that this plan be refused.
She continued:
“We do need more housing, but converting this barn into a 4-bedroom house is not going to create an affordable home, or one which anyone with social housing needs can access. It will most likely be a short-term let. “
I did approach Councillors Guy and Warren and received the following response:
“This application is to convert a barn to a home, without significant change to the building’s design or appearance. We feel that these personal attacks are unwarranted and exaggerated, given that we supported the call-in to the Planning Committee partly at the Lambridge Councillors’ request.
This was due to the site’s location on the border of the wards and the majority of objections being raised by Lambridge residents.
“Converting an existing agricultural building to housing can be a low-impact way of contributing to local housing needs. Ultimately, planning decisions are based on local policy, and our administration is working hard to ensure that local policies maximise the quality, sustainability and affordability of housing.
We are also pushing to directly deliver more social and affordable housing through the council’s own development company.”
This is most concerning given the highly visible location of the Barn. The new building currently being erected close by can be seen from miles away and the design is not at all in keeping with its rural setting.
I’m astounded that this application has been agreed and I am very worried that this failure to protect a well known piece of land below Solsbury Hill will set a precedent for further encroachments into the Green Belt.