Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in the world

In 1987 the entire city area was inscribed on the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its ‘outstanding universal values’. 

This designation pays tribute to Bath’s cultural and social history and to a range of features including its thermal springs, its Roman archaeology and, not least, the harmony of landscape setting, urban design, architecture and materials which so successfully reinvented the city in the 18th century.

A study of Bath’s history demonstrates a fascinating pattern of evolution linked to the city’s ‘raison d’etre’: its three hot springs and the social and cultural life they have inspired. The development of Bath is not a story of gradual, organic growth but one of bold and dramatic cycles of change which transformed the reputation and physical form of the city centre at peak times in its history and which were, inevitably, followed by periods of inertia and decline.

The key catalyst for each major cycle of revitalisation appears to have been the reinterpretation or reinvention of the hot springs for health, pleasure and commercial gain. These cycles have defined and redefined the city’s identity and international reputation over the centuries and have left us the remarkable legacy of today’s World Heritage Site.

The premise of the Future for Bath Vision is that for a concurrence of factors, not least the emerging availability of large development sites within and adjacent to the city centre, Bath stands on the threshold of the next major cycle in its evolution as a city: an opportunity no less significant than the Georgian transformation.

The vision for the Future for Bath outlined here was initially prepared by Bath and North East Somerset Council in the summer of 2005. Since that time it has been tested extensively in presentations to leading stakeholders including representative community groups, business and cultural forums, residents' associations, campaigning organisations and government agencies.

It has been informed by a panel of national and international experts brought together by the Council to help guide the future development of the city.

These pages aim to explain some of the principles and values contained in the Vision and give residents of Bath, the business community and other stakeholders an opportunity to participate in the debate and decision-making process about Bath's future.

• The Case for Change 
• Identity and Vision
• Spatial Framework
• People and Place 
• Planning and Delivery 
• Projects

How to have your say

This website is part of a community engagement exercise on the Visions and is closely tied into the ongoing Core Strategy work on planning policy for the next twenty years.

The consultation runs until 17 December, 2007, after which all responses will be considered and incorporated into any recommendations that are made to the Council and will form part of the decision-making process.

Members of the public and interested stakeholders are encouraged to use this opportunity to make their views on the proposals known.

This can be done in any of the following ways:

• Fill in the online questionnaire for Bath using this link and then choose 'Respond to the consultation'.
• Email us at future@bathnes.gov.uk
• Write to us at Future Vision, Bath & North East Somerset Council, Development and Major Projects, 10 Palace Yard Mews, Bath BA1 2NH
• Telephone us at 01225 477696
• Pick up a leaflet from local libraries, doctors and dentists' surgeries, and council offices in Bath, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton and take part in the advertised surveys and questionnaires
• Go along to public meetings and information workshops as advertised in the local press and at council offices
• Speak to the relevant B&NES Council officers or your ward councillors