Contaminated Land
Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy
2. CHARACTERISITCS OF BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET COUNCIL'S
AREA
B&NES Unitary Authority was created in 1996 following
reorganisation of Local Government in the area covered by the
former Avon County Council. It has responsibility for all the
functions traditionally carried out by county and local
authorities, and covers the communities served by the former Bath
City and Wansdyke Local Authorities. It will, therefore, be
necessary to refer to some pieces of information obtained from
documents produced by the relevant previous authority
[7][8].
This section provides a description of the characteristics of
the B&NES District which are important in identifying key local
features relevant to the identification of and strategic inspection
for contaminated land.
2.1 Geographical Location
Figure 2.1 illustrates the location of
B&NES in relation to other unitary authorities in the Avon
area. The B&NES boundary stretches from the picturesque lakes
of the Chew Valley in the west to the World Heritage City of Bath
and the Wiltshire border to the east.
Bath is set in rolling hills and woodland, which are dissected
by the River Avon. The countryside around is part of the
Bristol/Bath Green Belt and the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty (AONB). The City boundary runs tightly around the
built up area
[8]
The town of Keynsham lies close to Bristol with the southern
boundary provided by the Mendip Hills around the former mining
towns of Midsomer Norton and Radstock.
2.2 Size and Population Distribution
Covering 35,112 hectares, the areas of B&NES contrast
greatly in terms of the density and diversity of population. The
City of Bath accounts for approximately half the population and is
12 times more densely populated than the remainder of North East
Somerset. Bath covers 29 km2, whilst the population of the
remaining area is spread over 323 km2. The main concentrations of
population are at Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Keynsham, Saltford and
Bath.
The 1991 Census of England and Wales calculated the total
population of B&NES as being 158,692 with 78,689 residing in
Bath and 80,003 living across the remaining area. The 2001 Census
of England and Wales, however, calculated that the total number had
risen to 169,040.
In order to
present a more detailed view of the areas within the district it
has been divided into 4 sub-areas: Bath; Keynsham and Saltford;
Norton Radstock; and the remaining rural area. These are shown in
Figure 2.2. A list of the wards and their populations can be
found in
Appendix G: Wards of Bath and of North East Somerset.
2.3 Details of B&NES Council Land Ownership
Details of land currently owned by B&NES Council are held on
the Council’s
Geographical Information System (GIS) and will be utilised
during the inspection stage. Full details may not be provided here,
as the length of leases on commercial properties could be
confidential information.
2.4 Current Land Use Characteristics
Approximately 75 per cent of the Authority’s area outside of
Bath is undeveloped, consisting principally of agricultural
land.
Industrial activity expanded with the development of the
Somerset Coalfield in the 18th and 19th centuries, and
Norton-Radstock and the adjoining villages became colliery
communities. In the north of the District the Fry’s (now Cadbury’s)
chocolate factory relocated from Bristol in 1922 to a greenfield
site near the Avon at Keynsham. Elsewhere, village industries grew
into well-known businesses like Harbutt’s Plasticine factory at
Bathampton and Purnell’s printing works at Paulton.
In line with national trends, Bath’s industrial profile has
changed over the last 20 years and there has been a decline in the
traditional manufacturing sector demonstrated by the closure or
relocation of various companies. Bath’s main industries included
heavy and light engineering, shoe manufacture, and printing and
publishing.
There are also Ministry of Defence sites at Foxhill, Ensleigh
and Warminster Road, Bath, although these are mainly administrative
in character.
2.4.1 Nature Conservation and Land Use
Bath is built at the southern end of the Cotswold hills where a
number of valleys meet the River Avon. The underground tunnels in
the area, from which the stone to build the World Heritage city was
quarried, continue to add to the status of the area, now hosting
internationally important populations of Greater Horseshoe Bats.
Unimproved grassland, together with tracts of Woodland, and ‘green
corridors’ including hedgerows and river tributaries, represent
wildlife havens within urban and rural areas, increasingly
surrounded as Bath and other developments spread up valley sides
and over plateaux, and as agricultural intensification transforms
other parts of the Cotswolds and areas to the west to a rolling
landscape of pasture and arable land. The exploitation of the
Somerset Coalfield has added industrial infrastructure and
development to the Radstock area, some parts of which also comprise
ecological and geological sites of great value. The River Avon
valley cuts south-east to north-west with broad flat meadows,
wooded sides and busy communication links for people and for
wildlife whilst the open water of Chew Valley Lake comprises
another link, providing a stop-over point for internationally
important populations of migrating wildfowl in Spring and
Autumn.
2.4.2 Agricultural Land Use
The Agricultural Land Classification Regional Maps produced by
the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) provide
provisional guidance on agricultural land quality. The South
Western Region map indicates that, outside of the urban districts
of Bath, Keynsham Saltford and Midsomer Norton, the agricultural
land is generally Grade 3. There are some areas of Grade 1 land in
the west of the District, extending from north of Nempnett
Thrubwell, and across the Stanton Drew and Chew Stoke areas. Grade
1 and 2 areas also are represented in West and East Harptree, and
around Hallatrow and Clutton.
2.4.3 Service
Providers and the Coal Authority
Service providers will be consulted for information on routes of
services (telecommunications, gas, electricity and water), drains,
adits, culverts, pipelines and filled ground. The Coal Authority
will be consulted information on pathways relating to coal
mining.
Previous Page |
Next Page
Back to Contents Page
Page 5 of 30
