Council outlines its ambition for area with ‘place prospectus’ based on innovation and regeneration

Business innovation and creativity along with major regeneration schemes such as Bath Quays and the Milsom Quarter will help secure a strong future for Bath and North East Somerset, according to a new vision for the area.

The new ‘place prospectus’ shows how better places and a carbon neutral economy can be created in the area while also maintaining it at the forefront of innovation. 

Drafted by Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) Council, the document celebrates the success of the area’s economy in areas such as financial services, technology and research while also showcasing its heritage and culture, environment and high quality of life.

It also shows how, as part of a sub-region of 1.1m people, the area is contributing to a stronger national economy.

The council has set up a Future Ambition Partnership to work with the business, education, health and charity sectors to help shape a shared vision for the area.

Already taking part of the universities of Bath and Bath Spa University and St John’s Foundation. 

The prospectus details how the region’s 45,000 businesses and £4bn a year economy is home to the UK’s most qualified workforce outside of London. 

Some 85% of the UK is within four-and-a-half hours of Bath and Bristol, placing B&NES as an internationally known and well-connected area.

Supported by the heritage status of the area, this increases opportunity for business and attracts talent and skilled workers, according to the prospectus.

It also showcases the regeneration projects under way including local high street renewal projects; Bath Quays – the council’s flagship redevelopment project providing office space – and the Milsom Quarter Masterplan which will transform the northern part of the city centre, pictured top and above.

In North East Somerset, the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone will provide a sustainable and appealing business location supporting around 1,300 new jobs. 

Ambitious targets are also set out for energy reduction in the district, including retrofitting 65,000 homes to make them net zero, reduce car use by 25% by 2030 by reducing the need to travel through the creation of better walking, wheeling and cycling routes.

Council leader Kevin Guy, pictured, said: “We are proud of our diverse and vibrant communities, our beautiful surroundings and the people who live and work in Bath and North East Somerset.

“We’re determined you will have a bigger say on the issues that are important to you, which is why with our partners we have encapsulated the regeneration projects into one living document so it’s clear what direction we are proposing the district should go in to realise its potential.

“The projects aim to improve our city and town centres, provide new employment and learning spaces, enhance green public spaces and bring cultural activity and events to our communities.

“Through green recovery we aim to a build stronger, more diverse and resilient economy to support local jobs and business while tackling the climate and ecological emergency. We also need to work hard to reduce inequality, boost health and wellbeing and deliver more affordable homes. 

“The Place Prospectus is not just the council’s document but rather a partnership approach to laying out the opportunities there are in B&NES. We hope it will serve as an invitation to visit, live, work and invest in our fantastic area and improve it for generations to come.”

University of Bath vice-chancellor and president Ian White added: “The University of Bath is deeply proud to be part of our vibrant and innovative region, and we warmly welcome this initiative and the launch of the place prospectus today.

We look forward to playing our part through education and research expertise, and our innovation and enterprise capabilities, to support a sustainable and thriving future for Bath and North East Somerset.”

Vice-chancellor of Bath Spa University Prof Sue Rigby, pictured, said: “We are all facing challenges that are too big for anyone to solve alone.  At the same time, and perhaps more than ever, we can all see that it isn’t just the immediate that we need to address but the long term too. 

“The Future Ambition Partnership is creating a space for thinking and acting on a range of timescales to draw together organisations and people that can make a difference. It is a place to chart a positive and exciting future for Bath with North East Somerset and all the people who make their lives here.”

St John’s Foundation chief executive officer David Hobdey added: “The ambitions underlying the Place Prospectus acknowledge that all of us who live or work in Bath and North East Somerset carry the responsibility to make our communities even stronger. 

“We will only achieve this by working together and I am especially excited by the focus on making our communities fairer, so that we all have the opportunity to flourish and, together, bring the full potential of imagination, creativity and talent in the realisation of our ambitions.”