The Better Bath Forum

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Monday, 13 October 2008, 18.00 for 18.30
St Michael's Church, Broad Steet, Bath, BA1 5LJ

Transforming the public spaces in Bath - the Council's Public Realm & Movement Strategy

A Better Bath
The October meeting will discuss the Council’s new Public Realm & Movement Strategy, which is expected to be published in the autumn.
 
The BetterBath meeting on in June noted that there was an urgent need to improve the public realm, and asked theCouncil to set out its proposals for comprehensive upgrading of the public realm.
 
The Council’s response was as follows: The Council has commissioned a Public Realm and Movement Strategy for Bath City Centre which proposes an overall Grand Plan for the public realm to be delivered incrementally over the next 10-15 years and a range of measures to rebalance movement within the centre in favour of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. The ultimate aim of the Strategy is to create a canvas for public life and wellbeing within the city, which also contributes to a sustainable economy and an enhanced reputation for the city and wider district. The Strategy will include an action plan which focuses on a range of measures which, with the required funding, can be delivered over the next 5 years. The Strategy will hopefully be available by the end of July and will be published on both the Council and the Future for Bath & North East Somerset websites.
 
The business community has been kept fully informed of the work being undertaken to plan improvements in the public realm. Future Bath Plus will be able to play a part in suggesting priority areas and also to assist in the delivery of elements such as enhanced paving, which will play a part in raising the standards of our environment.
 
At the fourth BetterBath meeting on 13 October, Rhodri Samuel from B&NES Council will give an opening presentation outlining the main elements of the Strategy. Colin Skellett, Executive Chairman of Wessex Water and Chairman of the Bath & N E Somerset Initiative, will chair the discussion which follows. 
 
The Strategy is quite complex, and there will not be time  to get to grips with the detail. But this will be your chance to have your say on
 
  • The need for a radical rethink of how Bath manages the way people and vehicles get around the city and the maintenance of the streets and other public spaces
  • The broad headings in the Strategy – has the Council identified the elements which need to be tackled, and is the broad approach the right one?
  • Practical concerns eg on scope, timing, funding
  • Who needs to be involved in taking the Strategy forward?
 
At the end of the meeting Colin Skellett will summarise the key points emerging from the discussion and the Council will be asked to respond within a month. The conclusions and the Council’s response will be published on the website and people will be able to add their own comments.
Doors open at 18.00 when tea and coffee will be available and raffle tickets will be on sale. The meeting will start promptly at 18.30. At the end of the meeting there will be an opportunity to purchase a glass of wine and continue the discussion informally. 
All takings from the sale of refreshments and the raffle will go to the National Trust, to support their work in looking after some of Bath's beautiful green spaces.

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