Section 1: Community Needs and New Project Ideas

BATHSCAPES CONSULTATION

We need your help to improve our project proposals to reconnect the people of Bath with its unique landscape in ways that benefit the people, communities and heritage.

Please use this form to let us have your ideas and comments

Section 1: Community needs and new project ideas

What do you think are the main needs of communities in Bath that a project to reconnect people with the landscape and natural environment could help to address? Do you have any ideas for projects that would benefit people from disadvantaged communities and groups? Please let us have your thoughts and ideas.

Section 2: Existing project ideas

In this section there is a summary of the 18 projects that were developed for the 2014 application – listed under the headings of people, nature and heritage. Do you support these? Do you think they will help to reconnect people and communities with the landscape and heritage? Do you have any ideas on how they could be improved? Please let us have your comments and thoughts.

1. Bath circular path and linking network: Create a circular path and improvements to linking routes, installation of Cotswold Way pavement markers, program of path accessibility improvements, route interpretation and guides.

1. Gateways to the Landscape: Landscape/signage improvements to major sites to experience the landscape. Installation of information at ‘information gateways’. Create 5 destination gateways to better experience Bath’s landscape; 12 information gateways to assist exploration and enjoyment of wider landscape.

1. Therapeutic landscapes: Works bringing Bath’s landscape into grounds of 14 care homes. Activities: volunteer led walking program, facilitation for care homes. Provide outdoor lifestyles service (OLS). Rating of Bathscape walks for calorie burn. Outputs: 14 grounds improved, 10 facilities twinned, 28 landscape engagement sessions. Guided walks run. Volunteers recruited and trained.

1. Connecting people and landscape: Small grant to deliver Pride in Place at neglected sites. Activities: Recruit ambassadors for the outdoors amongst their community. Outputs: Train 25 ambassadors, 10 green spaces in better condition through community initiated restoration.

1. Community skills gateways. Establish community resource sites. Activities: rural, woodland and horticulture skills training provided for disadvantaged communities. Outputs: Create 3 skills gateways.

1. Let’s explore nature! Develop sites for wood camp activity. Activities: Establish program of wood camps; train 18 teachers in Forest schools. Outputs: Create 5 learning camps offering outdoor education experiences including forest schools; establish suitable body to oversee wood camps beyond scheme.

1. Landscape observatory website: Create Landscape Observatory website. Outputs: repository of knowledge and information about Bath’s landscape.

1. Looking after a living landscape. Restoration works to overgrown viewpoints. Activities: Training land managers in methods to strengthen landscape character. Outputs: Report of best land management practice and opportunity mapping; best practice workshops; communications program on need for stewardship, restored vistas.

1. Iconic wildlife. Works to reveal/reinforce iconic species at showcase sites.Activities: volunteers to monitor iconic species; promote mentoring between experts and laypeople, creation of education materials, 2020 event, iconic species partnership. Outputs: Report on key iconic species for monitoring. Network of accessible sites; many records collected/analysed, education materials created; volunteers recruited and trained.

1. Woodlands for the Future. Plant 6ha of new woodland, forestry operations in previously unmanaged woods. Activities: develop/run tree warden service across scheme area. Outputs: strategy prepared, woodland management plans written; forest products feasibility report; deer management group review; events run to promote woodland management; tree wardens’ training sessions; tree condition records

1. Grasslands for the Future. Restoration works amongst the 500ha flower rich grassland Outputs: Report on B-Lines networks. Small grants scheme to restore sites; volunteer work parties run.

1. Enabling good stewardship. Activities: 20 sites into Stewardship; provide food and farming partnership to promote local food and support community initiatives to sustain grazing and mowing.Outputs: food and farming strategy and marketing plan; sites in agreements.

Heritage

1. Understanding a changing Bath: Activities: run memory cafes to capture/share memories of Bath’s past, Storytelling programme through schools to share these experiences; volunteers researching landscape boundary change. Outputs: recruited volunteers; reports on land-use change, boundary change, memories of Bath. Café and schools events.

2.Building blocks: Access improvements and interpretation along Somersetshire Coal Canal tow path for William Smith trail; works to conserve and interpret RIGS. Activities: surveys and research to understand and monitor geological sites. Outputs: reports on geological sites, features condition and action required. William Smith trail.

1. Bath's streams revealed. Demonstration restoration of one Bath stream. Activities: gathering/sharing knowledge on history and health of Bath’s streams, provide education program on importance of our streams. Outputs: Education package.

1. Beautiful landscapes in the frame: Interpretation of important viewpoints, create exhibition on Bath’s picturesque views/vistas. Activities: review of artist’s depictions of Bath’s landscape; community artist leading exploration of Picturesque amongst artists and non-artists. Outputs: Document artist’s depictions of Bath; artwork produced by artists and non-artists; exhibition.

1. Caring for heritage at risk. Restoration works for Monuments at Risk, including Wansdyke activities: Developing management plans for Sites & Monuments Risk, including Wansdyke; celebration events on Wansdyke. Outputs: Volunteer training package; annual report on condition of sites monitored; Management plans produced; management agreements achieved.

1. Future proofing Bath's landscape. Create visualisation of possible future Bath landscapes. Activities: Scenario planning workshops with communities to recognise implications of climate change to Bath’s landscape. Outputs: Agreed policies/actions to mitigate/adapt to impacts of climate change.

1