Bathampton Meadows saved from development threat

Bath and North East Somerset Council has agreed to hand control of Bathampton Meadows to the National Trust, in a move that will protect the greenfield land from development.

The 24 hectares of riverside meadow to the east of Bath had been earmarked for a Park & Ride site, a proposal the Council eventually dropped in 2020 after a huge public outcry. Once under National Trust control, the meadows cannot be sold or compulsorily purchased against the Trust's wishes.

Under the transfer agreement, the Trust has pledged to improve the site's biodiversity and public access, as well as create more volunteering and recreational opportunities on the land.

B&NES Council says the transfer of the meadows is in line with its 2020 declaration of an 'ecological emergency', in which it vowed to resist the destruction of natural habitats. A month later the Council came under fire for permitting a housing development on a nature reserve.

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