City of Bath
As a World Heritage Site that sits among an important landscape for nature, the priority for Bath is to increase the area of accessible nature-rich green/blue space and tree cover in a way that retains the character of a World Heritage Site and enables wildlife, such as the rare bats that roost in the surrounding landscape, to travel through the city. Protection and management of features that provide refuges and ecological corridors through the city, such as the Linear Park, is particularly important.
Increasing the amount of nature-rich space and tree cover is particularly important in the south-west of Bath, which has higher levels of deprivation and would, therefore, stand to benefit most from better access to nature and mitigating impacts of climate change. Similarly, increasing the provision of local food growing opportunities, including allotments and community orchards, is a priority that would deliver biggest benefits in more deprived areas.
As well as bats, swifts in the summer sky are also an important feature of the city, but one that is under threat due to continuing declining numbers. It is a local priority to protect existing nest sites and provide new ones to help recover their numbers.
Additionally, reducing light and air pollution throughout the city would reduce pressure on wildlife, including bats, both in Bath and in the surrounding landscape.
Priorities for nature recovery
Delivering the priorities for nature recovery is particularly important in the mapped Focus Areas for Nature Recovery. ‘Landscape recovery’ measures, which will have the biggest impact on nature recovery, are particularly relevant in these Focus Areas.
The region’s populations of Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats, and other rare bat species are protected, and they have sufficient foraging habitat and landscape-scale connectivity to diversify the gene pool.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Protect greater horseshoe and lesser horseshoe bat roosts and maternity sites* | Local Government Farmers and landowners |
N/A | N/A |
There are more waterbodies that are in good ecological status and support thriving populations of fish and other freshwater wildlife.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Reduce the use of artificial sports pitches with ‘rubber crumb’ infill, which can leach into aquatic environments in significant quantities (and is also thought to be harmful to human health), in favour of more environmentally friendly options. | Local Government Businesses |
N/A | N/A |
| Reduce urban run-off by upgrading existing drainage infrastructure, installing sustainable urban drainage (SuDs) features, and ensuring new developments have suitable water management and drainage infrastructure* | Local Government Businesses |
Development and regeneration; Streets | N/A |
| Reduce other sources of plastic pollution, including single use plastics and other sources of microplastics (such as some cosmetic products) | Businesses Communities |
N/A | N/A |
| Use constructed wetlands to address pollution from urban and transport outfalls* | Businesses | N/A | N/A |
New and existing development and infrastructure contributes positively towards wider ecological networks.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Ensure new developments include plenty of (native) street trees, hedges, ponds and other wildlife-rich areas. | Businesses Local government |
Development and regeneration | N/A |
| Construct larger green bridges or underpasses over significant new roads to enable wildlife passage, and explore opportunities for green bridges over motorways or a-roads that sever key ecological networks | Businesses Local government |
Infrastructure | N/A |
| Fit wildlife tunnels underneath new and existing roads to enable wildlife to pass safely underneath | Businesses Local government |
Infrastructure | N/A |
| Fit mammal ledges into new and existing culverts or concrete pipes to enable wildlife, including otters, to safely pass through culverts or under bridges | Businesses Local government |
Infrastructure | N/A |
There is more woodland that is managed and in good ecological condition, including minimising the impact of ash dieback and reducing grazing pressure on sensitive woodlands from deer.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Improve the management of existing areas of woodland for wildlife, following the principles set out in the Forest of Avon Plan | Farmers and landowners | Woodland | Landscape recovery |
| Reintroduce coppicing as a form of woodland management that benefits wildlife while potentially providing woodland products such as fuel | Farmers and landowners | Woodland | Landscape recovery |
| Open up rides and glades in existing woodland to develop ecotones and scrubby areas that better support a wider range of wildlife. Where appropriate, use new open woodland areas caused by ash dieback to create new wood pastures or glades | Farmers and landowners | Woodland | Landscape recovery |
| Consider introducing grazing animals in larger woodlands to create a more dynamic ecology and enable habitat succession. | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Landscape recovery |
| Take measures to reduce deer grazing in woodlands, such as putting up deer fencing, to reduce their negative impact on woodland ecology due to overgrazing. | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Environmental stewardship |
| Leave deadwood in situ to provide habitat for a variety of species including fungi, lichens, invertebrates, mosses, bats and birds. | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Environmental stewardship |
| Periodically thin ‘high forest’ type woodlands (tall trees with little shrub layer) to maintain structural diversity and a varied age structure where appropriate | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Environmental stewardship |
| Avoid placing game bird pens in woodlands with a high botanical value | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | N/A |
| Ensure public access to and recreational activities within woodlands minimises impacts on woodland ecology, including clearly marked paths. | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | N/A |
| Only fell trees affected by ash dieback when there is a material safety risk, a clear future safety risk, or as part of normal silvicultural operations, and leave deadwood in place where possible for the benefit of wildlife | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Environmental stewardship |
| Where there is a diverse mix of tree species present, allow natural regeneration to replace trees lost through ash dieback. Where natural regeneration is not possible, replace trees lost through ash dieback with a suitable mix of native broadleaved species | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Environmental stewardship |
| Adopt ecologically sound forestry practices in woodlands used for timber production. This can include continuous cover management regimes that attempt to mimic natural processes, and integration of areas and corridors of native broadleaved woodland in coniferous forests | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | Environmental stewardship |
| Include fire and fuel breaks and/or fire belts in woodland to reduce the risk of wildfires, and ensure woodlands are resilient to climate change in the future | Farmers & landowners | Woodland | N/A |
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Add colour filters to LED streetlights to reduce their impact on insects, birds and bats. | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Minimise the use of lighting where safe to do so, including on the road network, and turning off public lighting for a time overnight. | Local Government Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Use motion-sensitive lights to reduce the extent of light pollution | Local Government Businesses |
Streets | N/A |
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Integrate wildlife-friendly measures into homes and other developments, such as nest-hole bricks, and bird and bat boxes | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Install swift boxes on buildings and homes to provide nesting sites | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Improve roadside verge management for nature, using an appropriate cutting regime to encourage floral diversity | Local Government | Streets | N/A |
| Create more nature-rich space in gardens and other private spaces, such as native shrubs and flowers | Businesses Communities |
Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Avoid using pesticides or compost with peat in it | Businesses Communities |
Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Include ponds and other safe water features for wildlife in gardens | Businesses Communities |
Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Retrofit wildlife kerbs to existing gullies, particularly near existing nature sites, and install wildlife kerbs on new gullies as standard. This will provide safe passage for amphibians and small mammals around road gullies and drainage openings | Local Government | Streets | N/A |
| Reduce recreational pressure on woodlands and other habitat in urban areas through maintaining clear paths, keeping dogs on leads, and setting aside non-accessible areas for wildlife where practical | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces | N/A |
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Increase the area of parks and public spaces managed for nature, including establishing more wildflower meadows or areas of unmown grass | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets | N/A |
| Create pocket parks in unused spaces, prioritising areas with least access to local green space and the highest vulnerability to the urban heat island effect and air pollution | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Streets | N/A |
| Design and deliver new housing developments with sufficient accessible, nature-rich spaces for residents (meeting Building with Nature Standards) | Businesses Local Government |
Development and regeneration | N/A |
There is greater tree canopy cover in towns and cities, benefitting urban wildlife, helping adapt to climate change, and improving people’s wellbeing.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Plant new street trees, ideally native species that will most benefit wildlife, prioritising areas with low tree cover and sites that will most benefit from shade for urban cooling | Local Government | Streets | N/A |
| Plant trees, ideally native species that will most benefit wildlife, in gardens and other private spaces | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
There is more community food growing close to where people live, including local agroecological/regenerative agriculture, allotments and community orchards.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Create new allotment sites to provide residents with local, sustainable food growing opportunities | Local Government | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
| Establish other local community food-growing enterprises, such as community farms | Local Government Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
| Create community orchards, ideally with local varieties of fruits, to provide local food and benefit wildlife | Local Government Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
Nature-based solutions are widely used to increase the resilience of our population centres to climate change, including to heat stress and flooding.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Install green walls and green roofs on new and existing buildings, helping to cool urban areas and provide more space for nature | Businesses | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Remove hard-standing surfaces in favour of permeable surfaces (ideally natural, green ones that also benefit wildlife) to reduce surface water flooding | Businesses Communities |
Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration; Streets; Gardens and other outdoor space | N/A |
| Integrate natural features such as swales, wetlands and raingardens to attenuate water within developments and provide additional habitat for wildlife | Businesses | Parks and larger spaces; Development and regeneration | N/A |
Relevant priority species
- Greater Horseshoe Bat
- Hedgehog
- House Sparrow
- Lesser Horseshoe Bat
- Swift