HoLCG Court Action - Press Release

            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 with the High Court a statutory challenge against the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) that made permanent the Lower Lansdown Liveable Neighbourhood, introduced by an Experimental TRO in November 2023. Significant evidence and witness statements from local residents – who one of the Councilors making the decision has confirmed previously ‘know their area best’ - have accompanied this challenge. The primary ground for the challenge concerns the safety of and increased danger to pedestrians, schoolchildren, cyclists and drivers due to the displacement of traffic to residential streets unsuitable for a significant increase in traffic, and in front of a school.

When B&NES decided to close permanently Winifred’s Lane and prevent traffic turning right into Lansdown Crescent from Cavendish Road, both formerly key northbound routes, their own monitoring had shown they were sending that traffic around a narrow residential loop within the Liveable Neighbourhood, with blind bends, missing pavement and overhanging trees, where parents walk their kids to school.

Other flaws in the decision-making process relate to the Council placing reliance on incorrect monitoring data both in its decision report, and at the Scrutiny Committee when the decision was called in by concerned councilors. Also cited is the Council’s dismissal of relevant safety reports. The challenge calls out B&NES’ failure to comply with its own policies to adhere to DFT guidance on cycle infrastructure (LTN 1/20), including in its Vision Zero motion of November 2023. It’s to be noted that the cycleway on Winifred’s Lane was promoted by B&NES in its own Movement Strategy for Bath.

In failing to address the risk to schoolchildren from displaced traffic which the council identified before the trial, the challenge also claims a breach of the Public Sector Equalities Duty. Finally HOLCG asserts that the Council deliberately relied on an expedited legal process to make the TRO, to which it knew it was not legally entitled due to earlier failings.    

HOLCG believes this may be the only Liveable Neighbourhood in the country where traffic is displaced to and increases significantly on a residential road actually within the Liveable Neighbourhood with a school (up 84% northbound on Sion Road in Bath) - the Council celebrates this as a success. 

A spokesperson representing the Heart of Lansdown Conservation Group said:

“Our legal challenge questions the legality of the council’s decision and process. We go to court out of deep concern about B&NES’ Lib Dem Council not respecting the overwhelming views of residents and rejecting local democracy. 73% of local residents, representing hundreds of people directly affected by the closure of Winifred’s Lane and living close by, objected to the council making permanent a so-called Liveable Neighbourhood scheme which they had trialed for 15 months. This is a failure by a council to hear local voices - not least when the concerns relate to safety and especially that of schoolchildren.

“It’s with sadness that we are going to the High Court to have this appalling and unsafe traffic scheme properly challenged. But after over two years of trying to have councilors listen to us, we have no other option.

“We have shown the Council that the traffic scheme is unsafe for pedestrians, schoolchildren, cyclists and drivers. We have provided extensive independent data, videos of cars mounting pavements, pictures of crashes and a petition signed by over 3000 people. Traffic increased on multiple residential roads, notably +880% north on Sion Road outside a junior school, reflecting over 600,000 more vehicles sent past junior schools over 430 days. We have also shown councilors other options which are pragmatic and realistic, but all to no effect.

“This highly concerning council decision was taken despite its own data showing the trial objectively failed the goals set out in the Full Business Case provided to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) in September 2024. How is this possible?”

ENDS