All Posts

The HoLCG Public meeting on Wednesday June 17th was well-attended. Key points from the meeting were as follows:- Andrew Roberts (Chairman of the HoLCG) gave a history of how the funds previously raised by the HoLCG had been spent: On the legal challenge to the first Winifred’s Lane ETRO. This legal challenge was successful, but the Council returned with a second ETRO which addressed the deficiencies in the first ETRO. After the second ETRO was implemented, funds were spent

The HolCG court action made the headline in this week's Bath Chronicle. However the comments made by Cllr Mark Elliott on page 2 of the Chronicle are misleading. Mark Elliott’s comments ignore the fact that 1000+ extra cars (B&NES own data) are now going northbound on Sion Hil/Sion Road past Kingswood School and around the dangerous blind bends past Sion Hill Place as a result of the Winifred's Lane closure. Also, a one-way lane (Winifred's Lane) has been replaced by a n

This amazing photo was submitted via the HoLCG incident log. It looks like that the driver had no option but to head for the hedge alongside Sion Road. It is a photo that sums up the problems caused by B&NES Council shutting off one-way traffic up Winifred's Lane and to put more two-way traffic (over 1000 extra vehicles per day going northbound) on Sion Road.

As you might have seen or heard last week the HoLCG filed a statutory challenge with the High Court on B&NES’s decision to make the Winifred's Lane ETRO permanent. You can read the HoLCG press release here. There was an article online with the Sunday Telegraph on May 16th which can be found via the link below and we are expecting plenty of local media coverage. See https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/8d0d53ce1de95dcf We had amazing support last time, raising around £40,000,

Media release 18 May 2026 Local Bath residents take Council to High Court over imposition of LTN On behalf of hundreds of local residents in Bath, the Heart of Lansdown Conservation Group (HOLCG), confirmed today that it is taking Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) council to court over its decision to make permanent a so-called Liveable Neighbourhood in Lower Lansdown. HOLCG has now filed wi

Following from the decision to make the Lower Lansdown ETROs permanent B&NES Council is consulting on the introduction of camera enforcement at two locations in Bath. The Council is planning the introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at the following junctions: George Street and Gay Street Sion Hill and Cavendish Road If implemented, drivers will be issued with a warning notice for a first contravention at each location, for the first six month

Many thanks to everyone who submitted responses to our Winifred's Lane Post ETRO Decision survey. In total we had 309 responses giving some very consistent feedback. A summary of the results can be found here . The survey results indicate a high level of dissatisfaction with the representation of constituents’ views by the current Lansdown ward councillors. Looking forward to the Local Elections in May 2007 the HoLCG will be endorsing and supporting suitable Independent can

At the meeting of the Climate Emergency & Sustainability Panel on Monday 23rd February the panel voted to reject the call-in on the Lower Lansdown ETROs. The vote by the 9 members of the panel was as follows: 5 Lib Dem and 1 Independent For B&NES panel members voting to reject the call-in, 1 Labour panel member voting not to reject the call-in, and 2 abstentions (1 Green and I Lib Dem). This is clearly a disappointment and came despite five very strong public statements a

A reminder that the The Scrutiny Panel for the call-in on the Lower Lansdown ETROs decision will be the Climate Emergency & Sustainability Panel. The meeting will take place on Monday 23rd February (10am, Guildhall Bath). You can find the agenda for the meeting here . There will be 13 statements from the public (3 minutes each) - 5 against the decision, 7 for the decision and 1 unknown. There will also be statements from ward Councillors Elliott, Hodge and Roper. Councill

9 Councillors have signed a call-in paper which means that the decision to make the Winfred's Lane ETRO permanent will go to a Scrutiny Panel. The councillors were 5 Independents, 2 Conservatives and 2 Labour. The panel will be the Climate Emergency & Sustainability Panel and the meeting will take place on Monday 23 rd February (10am, Guildhall Bath) . The meeting is a public meeting so members of the public can attend in the Public Gallery. A number of opponents of the deci

Heart of Lansdown Conservation Group Media announcement 2 February 2026 A DANGEROUSLY WRONG DECISION WHICH WILL PUT PEDESTRIANS AND SCHOOLCHILDREN AT RISK AND IGNORES LOCAL RESIDENTS At the close of business on Friday evening, Bath & North East Somerset Council announced via a two person councillor decision that the closure of Winifred’s Lane in Bath would remain permanent after the implementation of the Lo

Before Christmas B&NES published reports on the Lower Lansdown ETROs. Since then the HoLCG has carried out a detailed examination of the reports and the associated data. This process has revealed many gaps and flaws in the data with regards to Winfred's Lane (WL) and in the analysis of the data. It is clear that the WL trial has failed when measured against B&NES' own stated objectives. The recommendation going to the decision makers contains very minor mitigations that make

The report (read here ) recently released from B&NES Council regarding the ETRO for the closure of Winifred’s Lane confirms overwhelming objections from local residents to the road’s closure. This is no surprise to local residents who have being telling the council members responsible for making a final decision on the closure, for a year, that this is the view of the vast majority of people who live locally, and who know their area best. We can only hope that local residents

The HoLCG submitted a FOI request to the Department of Transport to request information from Active Travel England (ATE) which included a Route Check that they carried out on Winifred's Lane regarding its suitability as a cycleway. The responses from the Department of Transport are attached below. The Results Summary of the Route Check for Winifred’s Lane shows the following: Two policy conflicts Four critical issues A statement that the "proposed design will likely reduce

It would appear that the decision on whether or not to make the Winifred's Lane ETRO permanent is due very soon. Curiously this will be made as a 'Single Cabinet Member Decision', but by two B&NES Cabinet Members, Councillors Joel Hirst and Manda Rigby. The HoLCG believes it is important that all B&NES Councillors have the correct facts in front of them.We have sent the letter below to all Councillors including a list of key question that they need to ask as a decision is m

Below are two very interesting sets of data collected by a local resident of Sion Hill. The data was collected by manually counting cars over one hour periods on the stretch on Sion Road approaching the bends around Sion Hill Place. This data has been shared with Councillors Hirst and Rigby, the Lansdown Councillors Elliot and Hodge, the Leader of the Council Kevin Guy, the responsible Council Officers, and the LTN team. The data aligns very strongly with the data collect

On Wednesday (Oct 29th) evening representatives of the HoLCG (Rich Brown, Julian Gooding, & Ian Wilson) attended a meeting with Councillors Manda Rigby and Joel Hirst, Cathryn Brown (Senior Programme B&NES), and Chris Major (Director of Place Management B&NES). Representatives form other residents' groups also attended - the Sion Hill/Summerhill Road Residents' Association, the Sion Hill Place Residents' Association, the Royal Crescent Society, and the Marlborough Lane/Mar

Daily Telegraph The Times

Great article below from the 17/4/25 Bath Chronicle! Please distribute widely. Don't forget that the B&NES consultation on the...

Data shows LTN has raised traffic outside junior and nursery school by 720% - children at increased risk. One of Britain’s worst LTNs?...