Labour councillors in Bath and North East Somerset have challenged the idea that the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status should restrict building new homes. The council has been directed by the government to provide 27,324 homes over the next 18 years. However, Bath, home to around half the district’s population, is planned to receive only about a quarter of these new houses according to the recently published draft local plan.
The current Liberal Democrat-led council intends to concentrate most development outside the city, particularly around Keynsham and the Somer Valley. This approach is justified on the grounds that expanding housing in Bath itself could threaten its World Heritage designation.
Labour group leader Robin Moss criticised this rationale, saying: “We’ve repeatedly asked why the Lib Dem administration thinks World Heritage status stops them from building homes, but got no reasonable answer. UNESCO is proud of other World Heritage Site cities where locals aren’t priced out.”
READ MORE: UK’s Oldest Lido in Bath Reopens for One Day Amid Restoration Plans
Bath’s protected status covers not only significant landmarks like the Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge but also the city’s overall character, including its unique “hollow in the hills” setting. This designation has effectively halted major suburban growth, steering new housing towards brownfield sites within the city and a few small peripheral areas.
Under the draft plan, 5,900 homes are allocated within Bath, 4,600 in the Somer Valley towns of Midsomer Norton and Radstock, and 2,600 across rural parts of the district. Meanwhile, development in the so-called “Bristol and Bath corridor” - including Keynsham, Saltford, Whitchurch village, and a new town at Hicks Gate - is set to accommodate 8,600 homes.
It is important to note that allocating development sites in the plan does not guarantee immediate construction but influences future planning approvals. The council considered a proposal to build 2,000 homes from Twerton’s edge up to the Globe Roundabout but excluded this due to concerns about its negative impact on the World Heritage Site and the Cotswolds National Landscape.
Labour representatives, predominantly from wards outside Bath’s centre, have previously suggested that relinquishing UNESCO status might allow increased housing. However, losing World Heritage status has historically been seen as a significant setback, as exemplified by Liverpool’s experience in 2021 when redevelopment led to delisting.
Mr Moss highlighted the social consequences, stating: “Already too many people who work in Bath can only afford to live outside it where the homes cost less. This just moves the problem, adding to commuter crush and environmental damage every morning and evening, because these local workers and families have no other choice.”
Council leader Kevin Guy acknowledged the constraints: “The government has imposed a requirement for 27,324 homes over 18 years. We had no choice over that figure and we remain concerned that the unique characteristics of our area, including our World Heritage status and the extent of our green belt, have not been taken into account in the way we would have hoped.
“The reality is that a large number of homes are likely to be built in our area. Our only choice is whether we plan for that growth or leave ourselves at the mercy of developers. Without a local plan, there is less influence over where homes are built, what type of homes are built and how the infrastructure needed alongside them is delivered.”
The draft local plan will be reviewed by the council cabinet on 10 September before entering a six-week public consultation starting the week of 14 September. This will be the final opportunity for residents to provide feedback before the plan is submitted to the government for approval, which will guide planning decisions until 2043.