Bath City Football Club, High Street, Twerton, Bath

BPT acknowledges the cited public benefits of the proposed upgrade of the existing playing surface, as a community facility and the current home of Bath football within the city. The provision of upgraded playing facilities is given to be critical to ensure the future, sustainable use of the football ground, as well as the teams that use it. Works as proposed would therefore constitute a number of public benefits.

We note there would be no further provision of on-site lighting or floodlighting beyond what has already been agreed with B&NES Council.

Given the change from natural grass to artificial surface we highlight the environmental and health concerns with synthetic pitches associated with the leaching of microplastics, as well as the overall life span of artificial turf and means of disposal and replacement. There are additional biodiversity considerations where the Biodiversity Matrix indicates a total loss of habitat across the site, albeit of a poor quality “modified grassland” which could only be attributed very limited biodiversity value. This measurable net loss of biodiversity is contrary to the NPPF and Local Plan Policies NE3 and NE3a.