Use this page to find out more and have your say on proposals to introduce a School Street on Bloomfield Rise in Bath during summer 2026.
We are working with St Philip's Church of England Primary School to create a safer, calmer environment outside the school gates. To support this, we are proposing to introduce a School Street that would restrict motor vehicle access to Bloomfield Rise from its junction with Somerdale Avenue and from the surrounding private lanes.
Restrictions are only in place for 35 mins during school drop-off and again at pick-up, Monday to Friday during term time. Essential vehicle access is maintained for those who really need it, including residents living on Bloomfield Rise.
Before we progress plans, we invite you to find out more, attend a drop-in consultation event, and share your views via a survey. See the Our proposals and Have your say sections, below.
The consultation closes at 5pm on Thursday 16 April.
About School Streets
School Streets use timed vehicle restrictions outside of schools to reduce the risk of collisions and injury, and to create safer, calmer spaces during the school run.
Restrictions can apply to part of a street, the full-length of a street, or several streets, and usually last between 30 to 60 minutes during drop-off and pick-up.
During operating hours, essential access to a School Street is maintained for those that require it via automatic exemptions and permit exemptions.
School Streets are typically enforced through signage, trained school and/or volunteer stewards and temporary barriers.
Benefits of a School Street
- Fewer vehicles outside the school gates, reducing the risk of collisions and improving the safety of children
- Safer and more pleasant walking, cycling and wheeling routes
- More children travelling actively
- Better physical health and focus in class
- A calmer start and end to the school day
- A calmer environment for residents living in or near school streets due to fewer vehicles
Please expand the sections below to find out more about the benefits of School Streets. Or, visit our School Streets web page.
Improving safety for children is at the heart of the programme. By restricting vehicle access during the busy school run, School Streets reduce the number of cars manoeuvring, parking or queueing where children are gathering.
Schools also work closely with families to promote safe behaviours, such as careful crossing, considerate parking outside the School Street and slower driving speeds on nearby streets.
School Streets have been introduced successfully across the country, with many reporting calmer and more predictable conditions that lower the risk of collisions.
Encouraging active travel is another integral part of the School Streets programme that helps to reduce the number of vehicles entering the area at school times, rather than simply moving traffic onto surrounding streets.
Participating schools run ongoing campaigns to encourage more families to walk, cycle or use public transport for all or part of their journey. These activities help raise awareness of the benefits of active travel for children's health and wellbeing.
Our proposals
We are proposing a School Street on Bloomfield Rise outside St Philip's CofE Primary School to tackle congestion that puts children and families at risk as they wait to enter or exit the school.
Timed restrictions
To create the School Street, we are proposing to restrict motor vehicle access on the full length of Bloomfield Rise (from its junction with Somerdale Avenue) during the times set out below. Essential access is maintained for those who need it, including residents living on these streets.
Proposed restriction times (Monday to Friday, term-time only):
- Mornings: 8:30am to 9:05am
- Afternoons: 3:00pm to 3:35pm
We are also proposing to restrict unauthorised access to Bloomfield Rise from the surrounding private lanes that are often used by motorists to access the school.
Earlier in the year we invited landowners of these private lanes to a workshop to discuss solutions for preventing unauthorised access.
The outcomes are reflected in the proposal to install bollards at the two lanes where they exit into Bloomfield Rise in the following way:
- One fold-down/collapsible bollard set slightly into the private lane next to the school, on the side owned by the school. The position of the bollard would protect access to the school car park and neighbouring property. The bollard would be lowered outside of School Street operating hours to allow vehicle access.
- Two permanent bollards at the edge of the footway in front of the private lane on the western side of Bloomfield Rise, opposite the school. Buggies and mobility aids would still have access.
Access for landowners to the private lanes and garages on both sides would always be maintained with sufficient turning room.
For more information about essential access, see Who can access during timed restrictions section below.
Map showing the extent of the School Street, the location of temporary barriers and position of School Street signage.
How the School Street will be managed
Clear signage (a legal requirement) would be installed at all entry points to the School Street to show when restrictions are in operation. The proposed sign locations are shown on the map above.
Trained volunteer and school stewards would be present during operating hours to welcome families, put up and remove temporary barriers (stored at the school), and manage access for authorised vehicles and permit holders.
The collapsible bollard located in the lane next to the school (east of Bloomfield Rise) would be raised by the school during operating hours in the morning and afternoon. At all other times the bollard would be lowered to enable vehicle access to Bloomfield Rise from the lane.
The bollards opposite the school would be permanent, always restricting access into Bloomfield Rise from the lane.
See below for who can access the School Street during operating hours.
Illustration of a Pedestrian and Cycle Zone sign typically used at the entrance of School Streets promoting the timed restrictions
Who can access during timed restrictions
Please expand the following sections to find out who would be able to access the School Street during timed restrictions.
- Vehicles displaying a Blue Badge
- Emergency services (e.g. police, fire, ambulance)
- Statutory service vehicles (e.g. water/sewerage companies)
- Postal/courier company vehicles (not delivery drivers in private vehicles)
- Council-organised school transport
- Health/social care providers
- Vehicles delivering or collecting large goods
- Vehicles already parked in the School Street needing to leave
- Residents with a vehicle registered to a property on the School Street requiring access during timed restrictions (vehicles already parked in the area can leave without a permit)
- Parents or carers of a child with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or accessibility needs
- Visitors providing essential school services (e.g. a school nurse)
- Parents
- School staff
- Employees of local businesses
- Delivery drivers in private (i.e. non-company) vehicles
- Residents who do not live on the School Street
We will start the permit application process subject to the outcomes of this public consultation and a decision to proceed with the scheme.
Have your say
To submit your feedback on our proposal to introduce a School Street on Bloomfield Rise and restrict unauthorised access to Bloomfield Rise via the private lanes, please complete the online survey before 5pm on Thursday 16 April 2026.
Please ensure you have read and understood the proposals outlined on this page before responding. You may wish to attend our drop-in event (see below) before completing the survey.
Get support
If you are unable to use the internet, support is available from local B&NES libraries and information centres, or you can send a letter clearly stating whether you support or object to the scheme and the grounds for this to:
St Philip's CofE Primary School TRO Consultation 26-002
The School Streets Team
Bath & North East Somerset Council
Lewis House
Manvers Street
Bath BA1 1JG
If you need information in an alternative or printed format, or would like to contact the team, please email us at school_streets@bathnes.gov.uk or call us on 01225 394 025.
Drop in event
We are holding a drop-in event at St Philip's CofE Primary School on Tuesday 31 March 2026 between 3.20pm and 7pm.
We ask the school community to arrive from 3.20pm and for residents to join after 3.45pm, so we can manage attendance.
This is a good opportunity to meet the team and to ask questions about the design and how School Streets work.
Next steps
We will consider the feedback we receive from this formal public consultation and summarise it in a report to the deciding officer (the Director of Place Management).
If plans are supported, we will:
- make any necessary amendments before finalising the design
- invite applications for permit exemptions
- train stewards and work with the school to encourage more active travel and promote safe driving behaviours
- launch the School Street in June 2026.
Monitoring and review
If a decision is made to proceed, we would install the scheme and monitor traffic and travel behaviour to assess the School Street's effectiveness, drawing on baseline counts gathered before launch. We may also monitor air quality where required. Adjustments are made as needed.
Keep informed
To receive updates on the proposals for St Philip's School Street, please subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Find out more about the programme and the development of School Streets on our School Streets web page.
Traffic Regulation Orders
These are legal documents that follow a standard wording and format.
View the legal notices for this TRO Consultation 26-002
Find out more about how we decide on changes to road layouts using Traffic Regulation Orders.