The University of Bath faces a fierce backlash from residents and conservationists over controversial plans to build student accommodation on protected Green Belt land, a move opponents say would destroy precious wildlife habitats and iconic views of the Cotswolds.
Battle for Bath's Green Belt
At the heart of the dispute is a proposal to construct up to 296 student homes on the Sulis Club, a 30-acre spread of sports pitches currently used by university athletes and children from nearby schools. The land forms part of Bath's UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering commanding views of the Cotswolds and the famous White Horse of Westbury.
Separately, the university, which was named Sports University of the Year in September, has submitted plans to house 962 more students on its main Claverton Down campus. This has intensified local concerns that the historic Roman city is being overwhelmed by student housing development.
Community Fury and Environmental Concerns
Leading the opposition is Sanne Terry, a 50-year-old senior figure at neighbouring Bristol University, who questions the university's commitment to its community. "These sports pitches are quite rightly designated as part of Bath's UNESCO world heritage site," she stated. "The university is not recognising its responsibility to the community it has nested itself within."
The plans have particularly alarmed conservationists due to the area's significance for 17 endangered species of bats, including lesser and greater horseshoe bats and Bechstein's bats. The dark skies and natural valley habitat provide ideal conditions for these protected species, which would be severely threatened by light pollution and construction noise.
Retired water management expert Kevin Gibbs, 65, who has lived in the area for 23 years, expressed his dismay: "This development will destroy the lives of everybody living here – and the wildlife. The semi-rural nature of this part of Bath is unique."
Abandoned Sports Facilities and Broken Promises
The controversy deepens with the revelation that original plans to transform the empty Sulis Club into an indoor climbing centre were abandoned due to what the university described as a 'challenging financial environment'. This has disappointed members of the local climbing community who had been working with the university on the project.
Jon Phelps of Ascent Climbing Club highlighted the missed opportunity: "Climbing remains an internationally growing and Olympic sport. Bath remains one of the few cities in the UK without a public climbing centre."
The loss of sports facilities has also concerned local schools. Lisa Stares, chair of Friends of Ralph Allen School, explained that the school pays the University of Bath to use these fields for PE lessons and has done so for many years.
The University of Bath Students' Union has opposed the removal of the Sulis Club from the Green Belt, stating it "poses significant risk to the local sports provision."
A university spokesperson responded that the Sulis Club has been identified as a possible development option in the local authority's consultation on the Local Plan framework to 2042. They added that should any development be considered, the university would be "mindful of and well experienced in taking into account environmental impact, sustainability, and the need to maintain appropriate sports provision."
With the plans now before Bath and North East Somerset Council, battle lines are firmly drawn between the university's expansion ambitions and the community's determination to protect one of Bath's most cherished landscapes.
