Project

Future plans for Bathampton Meadows

Last updated:: 21 November 2023

Sheep grazing a field in front of a large oak tree. — Sheep grazing at Bathampton Meadows during the autumn | © National Trust Images/James Beck

A 'green corridor' along the River Avon to the east of Bath, linking the historic city centre to surrounding countryside is now in our care and safeguarded from future development. Find out about the plans for the future of Bathampton Meadows and follow as the project develops.

Green corridors

In 2020 the National Trust’s Director-General Hilary McGrady announced our ambition to create 20 'green corridors', knitting together green space, woodlands, towpaths and parks to remove barriers that could prevent those in inner city neighbourhoods from accessing large green areas.

The corridor through Bathampton Meadows was the first of these corridors to be confirmed.

Caring for Bathampton Meadows

Meandering out from the heart of the City of Bath World Heritage site, the route through Bathampton Meadows is now in the care of the National Trust and safeguarded from future development. This is thanks to a transfer of land from Bath and North East Somerset Council, and an acquisition of farmland using a restricted fund of legacy donations.

A visitor walking and their child riding a bike along the path towards the meadows. — Visitors on the cycle path at Bathampton Meadows, Bath | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Community engagement process

Over the summer of 2023 we carried out community engagement with the aim of shaping and informing a spatial plan for Bathampton Meadows. The consultation explored and tested the following areas with local residents:

Creating habitats to boost the local wildlife
Improving infrastructure to make the meadows more inclusive and accessible
Developing ways people can enjoy more of the meadows
Involving local communities in the process of shaping the future for the meadows

In total we spoke to over 500 people and used a mix of methods to look at existing usage and previous information surrounding the meadows. This included:

Reviewing and analysing previous studies and consultation feedback
An interactive semi-structured online survey
Walking Focus Groups with a wide spectrum of users
Interactive Drop-In Events held in various locations across the meadows
Creative workshops with young people
Observational studies to record how people are currently using the meadows

A group of people discussing Bathampton Meadows and using post-it notes to mark comments on display boards. — Community consultation in the fields at Bathampton Meadows, Bath | © National Trust/Ruth Newell

Key findings from the community engagement

From the feedback it was clear that people highly value the meadows as a community asset and in particular its semi-rural character. There were some key conclusions that could be drawn from the research.

Strong support for restoring and enhancing habitats for nature

All the research activities undertaken indicated there was deep and widespread support for preserving and enhancing the landscape for wildlife. Indeed there was strong support for; restoring wildflower meadows, restoring hedgerows, restoring wetland habitats such as ponds and reed beds and introducing wet or river woodland.

Support for creating opportunities to enjoy nature

There was widespread support for creating opportunities for people to get closer to nature and enjoy it.

Paths for all

For the main routes through the meadows, it was clear that smooth sealed surfaces were imperative for wheelchair users.

Circular walks

One specific area of interest was around developing circular walking routes so that people could more fully explore different parts of the meadows.

Wayfinding and interpretation

People would like suitable wayfinding and interpretation information at key arrival spaces across the meadows and people were keen to understand about the processes and practices being undertaken to enrich wildlife habitats.

Seating

There was support for provision of seating to make the meadows more accessible and to enjoy the views such as the river and Solsbury Hill.

Space for exercising dogs

Walking dogs is a popular activity in the meadows and dog owners valued the meadows as somewhere they could take their dogs.

We're now reviewing all the feedback and common themes from the research, ensuring that our plans for the meadows reflect the needs of the local community wherever possible.

Get in touch with the meadows

Bathampton Meadows is being looked after by our Bath countryside team who can be reached at bathskyline@nationaltrust.org.uk

Project timeline

July 2023

Community engagement

During the summer months we conducted surveys, drop-in sessions and indepth feedback sessions to learn what's important about the area to local people. This will feed into plans for the future.