Paragon School, Lyncombe Vale, Lyncombe, Bath

The proposed site of tree works is the setting of the Paragon School, a Grade II* mid-18th century detached house, now school, situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site. Within the Conservation Area Appraisal, the area is positively noted for its “semi-rural character” and low-density appearance due to the mix of developed streets bordering open fields and woodland, notably contrasting with the denser, urbanised core of Bath city centre. The site is situated within both the Local Ecological Network and the Green Infrastructure Network, and is partially identified to the south and west within a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. The school site is expansive in scale and forms an important contributor to the green, wooded character and appearance of the area.

We recognise the need for the ongoing maintenance of this woodland site and the removal of trees infected with dieback. However, considering the number of trees proposed to be felled, we encourage the consideration of appropriate replanting where necessary as part of a rolling programme of future maintenance to ensure that this significant area of tree coverage is sustained and enhanced as part of Bath’s landscape setting. Where the loss of identified key specimens of “significant ecological value” such as T613, a mature beech, is anticipated (in this case due to bark and stem decay), we encourage consideration of appropriate on-site ecological offsetting works to avoid the thinning of the tree canopy.