Oldfield Lane and the Avenues

Update on the Oldfield Lane and the Avenues Liveable Neighbourhood

It was decided in autumn 2024 that the Oldfield Lane and the Avenues Liveable Neighbourhood would not progress.

Early cost estimates during the preparation of the full business case (FBC) required the council, in discussion with the relevant ward councillors, to reduce the scope of the Liveable Neighbourhood programme. Ideas put forward during the engagement process may be considered as part of future projects via your ward councillor. 

View information on the other Liveable Neighbourhood areas progressing, and for background on the FBC read our press release from 12 October 2024.

The Oldfield Lane and the Avenues area is one of the 15 areas in our community-led Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. Oldfield Lane and the Avenues is a residential area located to the south west of Bath city centre, approximately 0.8 miles from Bath Spa train station and lying just south of the A36.

About the programme

Liveable Neighbourhoods is a community-led programme that aims to improve residential streets and encourage safe, active and more sustainable forms of travel, such as walking, wheeling and cycling.

Typical improvements suggested by communities are:  

• Better crossings, footways and cycle lanes to connect homes with shops, schools and community hubs 
• Traffic-calming measures to tackle anti-social driving, speeding and inconsiderate parking
• Pleasant places for people to sit and meet others outside

Find out more about LNs and their benefits

Our approach

Our role is to support communities to develop their own LNs, engaging with them at every stage of development. We want to hear from a diverse range of people to ensure the final designs meet everyone’s needs.  

Read more about our approach to developing LNs 

Development of this LN

• In Autumn 2020, we asked residents across the district how they felt about LNs, and 48 communities then applied to become a LN, via ward councillors.
• In June 2021, we prioritised 15 areas where development of LNs could start (this included the Oldfield Lane and the Avenues area).
• In December 2021, we asked for your feedback on what was good about the area, what transport-related issues you experience, and what improvements would make the most impact. 
• In Spring/Summer 2022, we then held a series of co-design workshops where residents prioritised the measures they wanted to see included (see Co-design outcomes below).
• During 2023, we shortlisted these proposals, taking costs and practicalities into consideration.

View our full project development timeline which includes links to the relevant reports.

Please expand the sections below to find out more.

Outcomes of the original engagement

Out of the 1,625 responses submitted as part of our public engagement in December 2021, 79 people commented on the Oldfield Lane area. Below is a summary of what people said:

What is good about the area?

• 66 said 'close to shops and services'
• 46 said 'strong community spirit'
• 23 said 'good accessibility, such as walking, wheeling and cycling'

What issues are experienced?

• 39 said 'parking'
• 33 said 'not enough space for wheeling, walking or cycling'
• 31 said 'through traffic'
• 28 said school run traffic'
• 25 said 'speeding traffic'

What measures could improve the area?

• 27 said 'new or improved cycle lanes'
• 24 said 'a restriction on through traffic or HGVs'
• 21 said 'new or wider footways'
• 20 said 'trees, planting and spaces to sit'
• 18 said 'better or more residents parking'

Outcomes of the co-design workshops

We held a workshop on 14 June 2022 with residents who expressed an interest during earlier consultations to co-design the Oldfield Lane and the Avenues Liveable Neighbourhood.

At the workshop, 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.

View the workshop report

In August 2022, attendees were invited back to review the outcomes of the workshop and prioritise their ideas, focusing on the original application area. More information on the outcomes will soon be provided below.

Recommendations for design

We are currently shortlisting the community’s priorities for the Oldfield Lane and the Avenues area against a range of criteria, including costs and practicalities.

When available, you will be able to read the reports on this web page. This will include the prioritisation workshop report, the recommendation criteria, and the recommended shortlist for the LN area.

Next steps

We are preparing a full business case (FBC) for the LN programme to establish funding priorities. This will be submitted to the West of England Combined Authority in winter 2023/4.

We will engage the public on the overall design once the FBC has been approved.

View the project development timeline

Please subscribe to our newsletter to be informed of progress. If you would like to receive this newsletter in another format please contact us using the details below.

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Contact us

If you would like to talk to an advisor, get involved in the LN programme or be kept up to date on future events, email us at LNs@bathnes.gov.uk, or call 01225 39 40 25 (and request a call-back from a team member)

Please also let us know if you need this information in easy-read or an alternative format.