At the above Council Meeting where besides other matters the Bath Transportation Package was discussed, a representative of ‘Newbridge Matters’ delivered a written and verbal statement which included the following.
With regard to the Bath Transport Package and in particular, if you wish to continue with your proposals for extending the existing Park and Ride Car Park at Newbridge and receive Grant Money, we understand that you will need to reduce the estimated cost of works in order for the Department for Transport to give further consideration to your Transport Package. A document has been prepared dated 15th September 2010 which I hope you have before you, showing Comparisons of Sites for a Car Park north and south of the River Avon.
From this document you will see that if you revert to your original site for the Car Park south of the river on Duchy of Cornwall land, not only will it provide for a much larger Car Park than that on the northern side of the river but, the cost per parking space should be much less.
This difference in costs is due to the very expensive decontamination works required to be carried out on the northern site, as part of the planning conditions when you received Planning Consent.
This site was for many years used as a commercial and domestic refuse tip.
Very expensive construction and maintenance costs would be involved on the northern site involving the provision of special water filtration material by way of permeable and impermeable membranes in the base construction, in order to prevent ground water from being drained from the site and affecting the adjacent Nature Conservation area.
At the time of the submission by your consultants for Planning Permission, they advised you that the Car Park would need to be excavated from time to time in order to replace the various membranes, giving rise to loss of parts of the Car Park as work proceeded.
Also, your consultants advised you that the Car Park would flood at certain times and that to try and minimise this effect they proposed that large underground water storage tanks be constructed.
None of these restraints would apply to your original site south of the river, it being on virgin land with drainage direct to the river.
The Land Agent for the Duchy of Cornwall in Newton St Loe confirmed on 4th November 2010 that he would be quite prepared to re-open negotiations with the Council for the sale of the necessary land in order for the Car Park to be constructed as originally intended on the southern side of the river.
Your original proposals for that Car Park included for part of it to be on two decks but, even if this was not carried out, the area is of sufficient size [8.33 acres] for it to be capable of providing parking for many more cars than the proposed extension of the existing Car Park, an area of only approximately 4 acres.
We respectfully request that you seriously consider reverting to your original site south of the river, which we feel confident would show a saving of costs at this critical financial time and provide for future transport needs.
To further show our resolve to help you, we have made available to your Chief Executive Officer a plan of the existing Newbridge Car Park showing that if the parking spaces were re-marked to the standard required size, then an additional 103 spaces could be provided giving a 20% increase on that now provided.
Madam Chairman, Councillor Sarah Bevan advised that this statement would be taken into consideration when the Council considered the Transportation Package further.
