Bath Homes fit for the future aims to showcase examples of energy saving homes. The aim is inform people about how to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat.

Cllr David Martin helped launch the project recently in his role as Member Champion for Energy and Climate Change. Details are at www.bathhomesfitfortheuture.co.uk

While walking up to Sham Castle earlier I passed some cattle on the footpath.

I’ve added this to my occassional collection of attractive photographs of Bathwick. There’s a slight Gainsborough reference to the composition also – if you haven’t yet been to the exhibition at the Holburne it’s well worth a visit – http://holburne.org/gainsborough-s-landscapes/.

The Liberal Democrats running BathNES Council have decided to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore Sydney Gardens.

There have been plans to restore the park for almost twenty years which have never been implemented. In 1993 an ambitious plan was drawn up which involved building a new bridge over the railway, a folly castle and planting a maze to the original design. The restoration project was last revived in 2007, but got nowhere under the then Conservative administration.

The Council cabinet has now approved a plan to draw up a bid, which could lead to significant funding. The Parks for People programme may fund 90% of the cost of restoring the gardens, making this project affordable even during a time of austerity for the council.

There will now be extensive consultation with residents and park users to find out their aspirations for the gardens. This work will inform the bid to the lottery and should make the restored Sydney Gardens popular and successful.

Your local Liberal Democrat councillors are very pleased with this progress and will make sure that local people are meaningfully involved in the project.

In 2009 the occupants of Smallcombe Farm applied to B&NES Council to divert the footpath which runs through their farmyard.

This started off a legal process called a Public Path Order. To divert a footpath an alternative must be provided which is substantially as convenient and enjoyable by the public and the diversion must be of benefit to the landowner. The process is run by the local council, with all of the costs bourne by the applicant.

While the application was made in 2009, no action has been taken by the council. This is shown in section 4.2 of an item brought to the Regulatory Committee this month. The papers were published here this week. Council staff have not processed any Public Path Orders in a number of years, and the Smallcombe application is several places down the waiting list. Were the aplication to be processed, the public would be consulted and the application would be apear before the Regultory Committee. Were any objections recieved an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State would arbitrate.

Perhaps frustrated by the lack of progress, the applicants have provided an alternative path already, and the National Trust, the landowners, have diverted their popular Skyine Walk onto it. This is signed on the ground and on the public map, here. The new route is labelled as a ‘permissive path’; one which is not recognised as a footpath, but along which the public have been given permission to walk. The stepped path to the farmyard remains a legal footpath, but it is not signposted as well as it used to be.

Currently walkers have the advantage of two different footpaths to Smallcombe, and both are used by walkers (and their dogs). This is likely to remain the case for many years yet, as the council footpath team have a low priority for funding during straightened times.

A guide to improving the energy efficiency of traditional homes in the city of Bath was launched today. A collaboration between the Bath Preservation Trust and the Centre for Sustainable Energy, this practical guide shows how we can preserve the character of historic Bath houses and make the city and its buildings fit for a low carbon future. The guide is designed for all owners and occupants of traditional homes in Bath, mainly homes of solid wall construction typically built before 1919. It includes sections on energy efficient techniques suitable for traditional houses as well as advice on planning policy and practice. For more background information, and to download a copy of the guide, see either www.cse.org.uk or www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk.

We celebrated the achievements of our Local Energy Champions yesterday. This is a competition organised by B&NES to inspire and reward community action to help save energy and combat climate change across our district. Entries from local groups across the B&NES area were involved, including Keynsham, Radstock, Timsbury, Twerton and Widcombe. There was also a student group from Bath University. All entries were judged on a number of criteria including: carbon or energy savings, impact on the group, impact on the wider community and progress made. The winners were Newbridge Primary School which received a prize of £1000 to put towards further community activities.

An application has been made to divert the footpath which runs past Smallcombe Farm.

A new ‘permissive path’ has been marked out and recently the National Trust has re-signed its Skyline Walk. However, the application was made in 2009 and is still not likey to be determined any time soon.

Any landowner can apply to move footpaths which cross their land, but it is a time consuming and dificult legal process for them. A fee is payable to the Council for processing the order and it is dealt with in the order of reciept. Currently the Smallcombe path diversion is 7th in line to be dealt with. However, since staff cuts last year, there has been no work on any modification orders by the council recently.

When the modification order comes to be processed an official notice will be put in the newspaper and on the site for six weeks. Local people and walkers are welcome to object to the modification. The diversion must be proved to be in the interests of the landowner and/or the public AND must not have a negative impact on the public’s enjoyment or convenience of the route.

The order is generally determined by the Regulatory (Access) Committee of which Cllr Nicholas Coombes is an occassional member. Any obstruction to the original path before a modification has been approved is unlawful and likely to prejudice the final decision.

Full details are here, but your Liberal Democrat councillors will, of course, keep you up to date.

The footpath from Warminster Road to Candy’s Bridge (over the canal) is being improved.

The stile at the top has already been replaced by a new kissing gate and the one at the bottom by the bridge is also due for replacement. There are also plans to put steps into the hill at the muddy section.

The work is being funded by Cllr Nicholas Coombes’ devolved budget. The state of the path has been brought up by local residents and the Council footpath team have been trying to find the money to do the work for some time.

Completion has been delayed by poor weather earlier in the year.

The disputed fence on the AQ78 footpath has finally been dismantled.

The fence was erected several years ago, reducing the width of the path from Claverton to Combe Downs. The matter was taken up by local residents to the Council. Bathwick councillor Nicholas Coombes, sitting on the footpath committee, recommended action prompting the public enquiry. This found the official width to be up to 7 metres, so the fence had to come down.

Since then B&NES Council has been discussing with the landowners along the route to dedicate the whole path a bridleway. This would allow safe and legal cycling for Ralph Allen pupils and University students. Negotiations continue, but residents will be pleased to see the fence removed. It is likely to be reinstated several metres further back, allowing for a much wider path.