A “new vibrant city quarter” in the centre of Bath is just one major plan that was granted planning permission by Bath and North East Somerset Council in 2024.

Other major plans include a block of flats which has prompted fears for Bath’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status and an “immoral” plan to knock down two homes in Midsomer Norton in order to access a housing development for neighbouring Somerset Council.

“Planning permission” may not sound like an exciting term but it frequently leads to some of the most dramatic moments in the council chamber.

Except for meetings of the full council and the council cabinet, no other committee on Bath and North East Somerset Council has as much power to shape the future of the local area — or to lose council taxpayers’ money by triggering costly appeals.

As 2024 draws to a close, here are five of the biggest planning decisions made by Bath and North East Somerset Council this year.

April: “Carmageddon” at Sulis Down

Major plans to build 290 homes on the southern edge of Bath were turned down by the planning committee in 2024 — but now could go ahead anyway on appeal.

The plan by the Hignett Family Trust to build on the “South Stoke plateau” are the third and fourth phases of the Sulis Down Development. The first phase, 171 homes by Odd Down Park and Ride, was granted planning permission in 2018 and the second phase, Sulis Manor and the land surrounding it, is effectively on hold and will be “developed by others.”

The whole site sits within the Cotswolds National Landscape (formerly known as “areas of outstanding natural beauty”) and Bath’s World Heritage Site, but was taken out of the green belt ten years ago as a site for 300 homes. Together with the homes in phase one, the Sulis Down development would exceed this by about half — but the council’s planning officers have stated the figure “is not a cap” if all relevant principles are met.

The Hignett Family Trust said that the development will “create a beautiful new addition to the City of Bath.” Notably, the plans will include 116 much-needed affordable homes if the full 290 were to be built, a higher proportion of affordable housing than most developments offer.

But locals warned the homes would cause “carmageddon,” putting more pressure on the Odd Down Park and Ride roundabout which is infamous among commuters for its long tailbacks during rush hour, and cause the loss of “vital precious green space, loved, used and valued by many.”

The plans first came before Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee in November 2023, where they were sent back to developers for more information on the traffic impacts. But in April 2024, the plans came back before the planning committee.

About 120 people turned up outside Bath Guildhall with placards to protest against the plans ahead of the meeting. Inside, the committee had to be held in a ballroom next door to the council chamber to accommodate the numbers watching.

Representing the developers, Peter Frampton of Frampton Town Planning said objectors had a “root and branch objection to any further housing.” But councillor Joel Hirst (Odd Down, Liberal Democrat), who addressed the committee in opposition to the plans, said: “It will be an irreversible decision which will cast a historic shadow over the ecology and traffic management on the south side of Bath and the North East of Somerset.”

After three and a half hours spent discussing the plans, the planning committee voted 7-1 to reject the plans.

The one person on the committee to vote in favour of the development was the then chair, Duncan Hounsell (Saltford, Liberal Democrat). He warned councillors: “We have always got the Big Brother — if you like — looking down. Which is what ‘would the planning inspector think on appeal if we go against a strategic policy and a strategic site in our development plan?’”

He stepped down from the committee after the meeting, with the committee’s new chair insisting that his departure was not due to the decision on Sulis Down. But soon the council will find out if his warning about “Big Brother”’s view was right.

The Hignett Family Trust have lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate, branding the the council’s decision making “chaotic” and “unreasonable.” Now an inquiry — set to run for 10 days — will be held in January.

It is a fight that opponents of the plans had been prepared for. Speaking directly after the plans were refused in April, Ned Garnett of the South of Bath Alliance said he was “delighted” with the planning committee’s decision. He said: “The planning committee has listened to the arguments and the very strong feelings of the community.”

He added: “It’s likely to go to appeal so the fight goes on.”

The inquiry, to be held before inspector T Gilbert-Wooldridge, will begin sitting at 10am on January 28 2025. Bath and North East Somerset Council will be arranging a venue for the case to be held.

May: A “new vibrant city quarter” for Bath

It is not every day that a “new vibrant city quarter” is built in the middle of a historic city but, in May, Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee approved such a plan.

The Bath Quays North project will see Avon Street Car Park turned into new city blocks and pedestrianised streets. Developers Legal and General had been set to deliver the project with the council and — after a four year wait — were granted the final stage of planning permission needed to begin the redevelopment in May.

But in July the council said its development agreement with Legal and General has expired, and it had signed an agreement with the University of Bath for it to work on the plans instead, although it said this would not affect the planning permission. The university will look at using the 2.2 hectare city centre location to create new spaces for research, innovation and “enterprise activities.”

The Bath Quays North project was described as “the most significant development in Bath in a generation” back in 2019. The old multi-storey at Avon Street Car Park was demolished in September 2022, and a new bridge across the river to the Bath Quays South Development was opened in December 2022.

At the planning committee in May, planning committee member Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent) said he had concerns about the “Lego-like” appearance of the buildings proposed. But Tim Warren (Midsomer Norton Redfield, Conservative) said: “You’ve got a tip in the middle of Bath which has been like it for I don’t know how many years […] and it just needs doing.

“You’re building an office block mainly — you’re not building the Royal Crescent.”

August: Bath’s “beautiful” or “eyesore” block of flats

A new block of 77 flats with a twist was granted planning permission to be built near the centre of Bath in August.

The developers have said it will be a “beautiful” building delivering “unbelievable” benefits to Bath — but it has also been called an “eyesore.” It has also prompted fears it could jeopardise Bath’s World Heritage Site status, with one councillor warning the city is “sailing close to the wind with UNESCO.”

The 77 “co-living” flats are not traditional flats, but involve shared kitchen-dining rooms and facilities such as a gym, rooftop terrace, and a ground-floor co-working space all covered by one rent payment. Each of the studio apartments would have a fold-down bed, moveable sofa, and kitchenette in one room, and a bathroom.

Explaining the concept to the planning committee when the plans came before them on August 29, Kosy Living CEO Paul Brundell said: “Co-living is not student accommodation. It is aimed at young professionals and this will encourage young talent to remain or come into the city to help in its future economic growth and create employment.

“It will serve a hugely underserved and underrepresented group, providing them with a high quality communal environment, with space to live, socialise, and work.” Mr Brundell said that although the co-living building was “not suitable” to include affordable housing, the developer was making a £1.1m contribution for affordable housing in the city.

One of the 18 objections submitted to the plans had raised concerns that the four storey building would “be unsightly and an incongruous eyesore.” But Kosy Living CEO Paul Brundell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I think it’s an eyesore what’s there now.” He added that Kosy Living had worked on many schemes in London and Bridgton and said: “This is my favourite scheme, I think it’s beautiful I really do.”

But Mr Hughes warned during the committee debate that there could be a “cumulative impact” on the city ’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status. He said: “On its own, I’m not sure how much impact it will have but […] we are sailing close to the wind with UNESCO.”

Original plans to build a block of 96 flats on the site were withdrawn and redesigned with the design review panel to better fit the city. Mr Brundell added that there had previously been a building of similar height on the site which was demolished in the 1960s.

The vote over the plans split the planning committee down the middle and had to be decided by a tie-breaker vote by the chair, who cast his vote in favour of granting planning permission for the development. The decision was met with disappointment by the local councillor for where the flats will be built, Deborah Collins (Widcombe and Lyncombe, Liberal Democrat). She said: “I am very disappointed that the committee approved this application. This huge block isn’t appropriate on this site.”

The vice-chair of the committee, Lucy Hodge (Lansdown, Liberal Democrat) also said she was “disappointed” with how the vote had gone. She said: “The building is far too bulky for its prominent location but more fundamentally, it’s not the building we need when land is scarce. Small studios, fold-down beds and communal dining – who is this really for?

“Our city is woefully short of affordable housing for its working population and this is just another development failing to address that need.”

September: Building on Bath’s “tufa field”

Plans to build on a field in Bath home to an unusual geological phenomenon have been controversial for years but were finally decided in 2024.

The field, located behind homes on Englishcombe Lane and just downhill from Corston View Park, has been dubbed the “tufa field” after the rare limestone formations called tufa naturally form in the field’s limestone flushes.

A plan by Bath and North East Somerset Council six years ago to build 37 homes on the field was granted planning permission but was met with controversy and was later scrapped by the council in 2021. But plans to build on the field were soon back on the table, as the council warned it needed to find space for supported living in the area.

In September, the planning committee voted to grant planning permission for a “landscape-led” council scheme to build sixteen affordable homes as a specialist development for people with autism and learning difficulties has been granted planning permission. The planning committee acts effectively independently from the parts of the council which drew up the plans.

The homes will be concentrated in two clusters on each side of the springs and streams in the heart of the field, with a “boardwalk” footpath bridging the centre of the field. The development would house 16 residents and provide overnight accommodation for carers and would also include a “community hub.” The council said the homes will be “life changing.”

There was no mention of the field’s tufa deposits in the ecology report submitted with the application — which council ecology experts analysing the plans said it was “a little surprising” — and when the committee discussed the application “tufa” was only mentioned once. Instead, the debate centred on the potential for flooding and what would happen with the development’s bins.

Mr Warren said the council had made a “very wise decision” in walking away from building 37 homes on the site even though they had planning permission and it would have brought financial benefits. He said: “I am still not convinced this is the right place to have a development. I think if this is developed, this is a good one.”

Councillors voted almost unanimously to approve the plans, with eight votes in favour and no votes against, although two councillors abstained from the vote.

November: “Immoral” plans in Midsomer Norton

An “immoral” plan to knock down two homes in order to build 54 on the field behind was turned down by Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee in June — only for that decision to be overturned by government inspectors in November.

The government stepped in to decide the plans after a more than two year long planning battle saw Bath and North East Somerset Council and Somerset Council split over then plans for the major development — which fell across the boundary between the two authorities.

The field where housing association Curo wanted to build the homes is in Somerset. But to build a road to access the field, it wanted to demolish and build a road through 26 and 28 Orchard Vale, two social homes in Midsomer Norton, just across the council boundary with Bath and North East Somerset.

Somerset Council granted planning permission for the homes to be built on the field in May — but Curo still needed Bath and North East Somerset Council to grant it permission to knock down the two semi-detached three bedroom homes.

142 people had lodged objections to the plans with Bath and North East Somerset Council with one objector, Joe Mears, arguing: “It is immoral to demolish the homes of current residents to provide access to new homes in the next authority.”

When the plans came before Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee, the committee agreed and refused planning permission. Paul Crossley (Southdown, Liberal Democrat) said: “As far as I can see, we are not getting any gains from this development. All we are getting is pain.”

The 54 homes include 16 affordable homes. But the vast majority of these are for people on Somerset Council’s housing waiting list — not those waiting for houses in Midsomer Norton on Bath and North East Somerset Council’s waiting list. Two of the affordable homes are to be for people on Bath and North East Somerset Council’s waiting list, to replace the two demolished, and another two could also be assigned to the council outside of the planning process.

People living in the new development are to pay council tax to Somerset Council, and not to Bath and North East Somerset Council or Midsomer Norton Town Council, despite using services in the town. Bins in the new development are to be collected by Somerset Council, meaning Somerset Council bin lorries driving through Midsomer Norton to access the new homes.

But Curo appealed the decision and, at a planning inquiry before the planning inspectorate held at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution in October, the housing association called the council “irrational and unlawful” for blocking the plans. Planning inspector Jonathan Parsons ultimately agreed, ruling in November that the homes could be demolished and the development could go ahead.

The people who live in the two homes, which are owned by Curo, will be “fully supported” to move into a new home in an area of their choice and receive a “‘home loss’ payment,” the housing association has said.It has also said it will not seek to recover legal costs from the council.

Chief executive of Curo, Victor de Cunha, said: “Despite the challenges faced, including a lengthy appeal process, we’ve chosen not to pursue costs associated with this appeal, as our priority is ensuring we can focus on delivering the homes and infrastructure local families so desperately need.”