The New Sydney Place and Sydney Road area in Bathwick is one of several areas in our community-led Liveable Neighbourhood (LN) programme lying approximately 0.6 miles north-east of Bath Spa train station.
The Liveable Neighbourhood Programme aims to improve residential street environments and create more space for those that want to walk, wheel or cycle their short journeys.
Learn more about the LN programme including our aims and approaches.
Our proposals
During previous consultations (outlined in ‘Explore the context’), residents in New Sydney Place and Sydney Road told us that they were concerned about the speed and volume of through-traffic using Sydney Road to bypass traffic signals on the A36.
In 2024-25, we trialled and consulted on several measures to address this issue, including:
- a through-traffic restriction on Sydney Road
- removal of a filter lane on A36 Warminster Road (which fed traffic into Sydney Road)
- improvements to the northern junctions of Sydney Road and North Road with the A36 Warminster Road.
The through-traffic restriction will become permanent following a formal traffic regulation order and statutory consultation held in July 2025.
Before installing permanent kerbing at the North Road junction, we will adjust the design to make it safer for cyclists (as per consultation feedback).
We are now proposing one additional measure to complete LN improvements in the area:
a continuous crossing over the junction of New Sydney Place with Darlington Street (A36)
About continuous crossings
View the changes on a map
Click on the numbers on the map to read a description of proposed and trialled measures. The numbers on the map correspond to the following annotations.
We have included descriptions of separate but complementary proposals under the Bath Walking Wheeling and Cycling Links scheme (BWWCL) that integrate with the Sydney Road LN specifically.
New LN proposals
- A continuous crossing across New Sydney Place at the junction with the A36 (Darlington Street/Sydney Place).
LN measures already trialled (in place) to become permanent
- A through-traffic restriction on Sydney Road allowing vehicle access to homes from either side of the restriction
- Improvements to the Sydney Road junction with Warminster Road
- Improvements to the North Road junction with Warminster Road (adjustments to the final design will be made to ensure the safety of cyclists as per consultation feedback)
- The removal of the filter lane on Warminster Road (leading into Sydney Road)
Additional proposals under BWWCL that complement the LN scheme
- An upgraded signalised crossing over the A36 (Sydney Place)
- A shared path for pedestrians and cyclists on the south side of Beckford Road (A36) running from the Sydney Road junction to opposite the entrance to the canal tow path.
- A new crossing for cyclists and pedestrians over the A36 (Beckford Road) at the canal tow path.
To see all of the BWWCL proposals for the Bathwick area, including for the Pulteney Estate area (City Centre to the Kennet & Avon Canal route), please visit the BWWCL web page.
You can find more detail on how we developed the Liveable Neighbourhood design by reading the 'Explore the context’ section on this web page.
Have your say
What happens next
Please expand the following headings to learn about what happens next:
- From 1 October 2025, thr through-traffic restriction will become permanent under Traffic Regulation Order 25-012. View more information on the trial's webpage.
- We will analyse your feedback on the continuous crossing proposal before drawing up more detailed designs.
- In Autumn/Winter 2025 we will publish the outcomes of the continuous crossing engagement and its final, detailed design
- In Spring 2026 we will install permanent kerbing around the bollards that form the through-traffic restriction and build the proposed continuous crossing
- We will re-design the North Road junction to ensure cyclists’ safety and review this design with key stakeholders
- In 2027 we will install permanent kerbing at the northern junctions of Sydney Road and North Road with the A36 Warminster Road. This installation will happen at the same time as the final BWWCL measures for the A36 to reduce disruption to the road network.
- We will contact residents directly impacted by installation work by letter.
Traffic Regulation Orders
Find out more about how we decide on changes to road layouts using Traffic Regulation Orders.
Get in touch
We will collect your feedback using the online form on this webpage. However, if you require any help or support with the form, please email us at LNs@bathnes.gov.uk or call 01225 39 40 25 and request a call back from a team member.
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Explore further context
Please expand the following headings to learn more about how we developed this design:
- In Autumn 2020, we asked residents across the district how they felt about LNs.
- View the consultation output report from January 2022.
- 48 communities then applied to become a LN, via ward councillors. You can request to view the original application for an LN for your area by emailing LNs@bathnes.gov.uk (the format cannot be made accessible for this web page).
- In June 2021, we prioritised areas where development of LNs could start (this included the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road area).
In December 2021, we asked for your feedback on what was good about the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road area, what transport-related issues you experience, and what improvements would make the most impact.
Out of the 1,625 responses submitted as part of our public engagement on the 15 Liveable Neighbourhood in December 2021,119 people commented on the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road area.
Below is a summary of what people said about New Sydney Place and Sydney Road:
What is good about the area?
- 75 said 'close to shops and services'
- 57 said 'strong community spirit'
- 38 said 'good accessibility, such as walking, wheeling and cycling'
What issues are experienced?
- 87 said 'through traffic'
- 77 said 'speeding traffic'
- 44 said 'parking'
- 59 said 'HGV traffic'
- 31 said 'space for wheeling, walking or cycling'
- 64 said 'school run traffic'
What measures could improve the area?
- 92 said 'a restriction on through traffic or HGVs'
- 26 said 'better or more residents parking'
- 17 said 'new or wider footways'
- 37 said 'new pedestrian crossings'
- 22 said 'trees and planting'
On 13 July 2022, we held a co-design workshop with 39 residents who had expressed an interest in staying involved in the process during earlier engagement.
Attendees took part in a series of exercises to identify what they liked about the area, what could be improved, and what specific measures could help, plotting these on a map of the area.
To see the maps and the longlist of ideas suggested by the community, please view the report below.
In August 2022, attendees were invited back to review the outcomes of the workshop and prioritise their ideas, focusing on the original application area. These were considered during later shortlisting to reach the final proposals.
During the first half of 2023, we considered the community proposals for the area against a range of criteria, working alongside local ward councillors to arrive at initial recommendations.
We scored proposals against set criteria to assess impacts.
View the early draft recommendation report (superseded by the Full Business Case proposal)
In early 2024, a decision was made to trial a through-traffic restriction on New Sydney Place and Sydney Road ahead of other LN measures and areas. This included the removal of the filter lane into Sydney Road from the A36 Warminster Road and junction improvements at the north end of Sydney Road and North Road.
During a public consultation from April 2024 to October 2024, we monitored traffic and air quality impacts and gathered the views of residents and the wider public. In March 2025, after reviewing all of the data, a decision was made to make it permanent subject to a formal traffic regulation order in July 2025.
View our Fact Check document on the trial and its outcomes.
To secure the funds to install the LN programme it was necessary to submit a Full Business Case (FBC) to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA).
This involved appraising all early recommendations for each of the LN areas against the following criteria, to produce a final shortlist:
- Technical feasibility
- Alignment with the objectives of Liveable Neighbourhoods and community benefits
- Affordability/budget constraints
The shortlist was submitted to the MCA in a Full Business Case to be reviewed by its committee. The funding was secured on 20 September 2024.
View the press release on securing the grant from the FBC.
The Committee's report on the FBC is on page 45 of the Agenda Report Pack which includes a link to the Liveable Neighbourhood Full Business Case.
The shortlisted proposals for the New Sydney Place and Sydney Road area are presented under 'Our proposals' earlier on this web page. They include measures trialled under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) in 2024-25 for which funding had already been secured. Details are on the trial’s web page.
Please note that a proposal to ban right turns into Cleveland Walk for south-eastbound vehicles on North Road (that was subject to trial outcomes) was removed from the shortlist in May 2025 due to fewer than expected displaced vehicles using this as an alternative route during the through-traffic restriction trial on Sydney Road. It was no longer felt necessary.
You can view a history of the development of Liveable Neighbourhoods and relevant reports on our project timeline. View our full project development timeline.