Avon Rugby Club, London Road West, Lower Swainswick, Bath

The proposed site of development is part of the playing field at the Avon Rugby Club, situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site, as well as the Green Belt. It forms part of the Green Infrastructure Network, and is bordered by a Site of Nature Conservation Interest immediately to the south where it follows the river through the city. The site is partially visible from the route of the A4 to the south, but remains well-screened by trees and planting along the River Avon. It is located approximately a mile upstream of the Grade II* Cleveland Pools.

Use as a temporary contractor’s compound has been secured with previous planning permissions 21/01310/FUL & 22/02447/VAR.

In the absence of any illustrative drawings, it is presumed that this application would be a renewal of the drawings as originally submitted and granted planning permission under application 21/01310/FUL, but it would be useful for these to be resubmitted under this most recent application to clarify this for the benefit of the case officer.

We maintain that considering the temporary nature of the proposals, we are supportive of this application and feel that the heritage gains and associated public benefit would outweigh perceived temporary harm to the site. As part of any planning permission granted, the site should be restored to its condition prior to construction works once construction use has been completed, and this should be enforced within a condition attached to the permit. We emphasise that the temporary use of this site as an ancillary support for development within the city should not qualify this site as ‘brownfield’, nor be considered a permanent change of use, and consequently should not be open to other future forms of more permanent development on the site as a result.