B&NES Council’s Cabinet has selected its chosen location for an East of Bath Park and Ride on site B, land west of Mill Lane, which is partly owned by a farmer who has been quoted as having ’no intention of selling’.

As well as being a working organic beef farm, New Leaf Farm also runs self-catering holiday cottages for those visiting the city. The BBC has reported that the landowner has 55 acres, 25 of which would be taken up by the new Park and Ride, should it go ahead.

The plans for site B, which saw large crowds protesting outside of the Guildhall where the decision was due to be made yesterday (Wednesday), will have 800 spaces for commuters and is likely to cost the Council more to build – as feelings run high with the loss of this green space, the Council has previously said it would invest in mature trees and make it Bath’s ’greenest Park and Ride’.

Despite arguments that the existing Park and Rides in the city are underused, the plans have been put forward to cut congestion on London Road and to support the expansion of the city, as more employment is hoped to be brought to the area with developments such as Bath Quays.

Speaking after the decision, Leader of B&NES Council, Tim Warren (Conservative, Mendip), said: "Both sites B and F are suitable to meet the established needs for an East of Bath Park and Ride. However, after careful consideration, the Cabinet has decided to select site B as our preferred location, because it offers the greatest potential for a future link to the local railway line and is less visible to those living closest. It is near to the city and well located for cars coming from the A4, A46 and A363.

"However, site B is subject to the purchase of the land and securing agreement from Highways England over access from the bypass. As site F would also offer a suitable alternative, if these outstanding matters cannot be agreed, the Cabinet has agreed to revert to site F, which is within the Council’s ownership.

"All our studies show that without a new Park and Ride, traffic will be worse in the years ahead. We therefore need to plan now for how to manage the additional demand this will put on our road network.

"Whilst we must plan for the future, we also understand the concerns raised by residents in the local area and have taken them on board. We are proposing to build a smaller site than originally planned, with extensive screening; this will be coupled with improved signage to encourage greater use of Lansdown Park and Ride by those arriving from the north."

Councillor Anthony Clarke (Conservative, Lansdown), Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "Our current three Park and Rides are used by more than two million passengers a year, a figure which has grown by sixteen per cent since 2009, and their usage will continue to grow, as more and more people travel into Bath to work and visit.

"The need for an eastern Park and Ride is therefore well established, and has the support of local business organisations, residents’ associations and transport lobby groups.

"Building the long discussed eastern Park and Ride is therefore an important part of our wider plan to keep Bath moving, which also includes greater provision for cycling and walking, better rail services through the MetroWest project, and bringing forward plans for an A36-A46 link road to reduce through traffic in Bath."

Members of the public will now have the opportunity to continue to put forward their views as part of the formal planning process. Cllr Clarke added: "The next steps for the Council will now be to progress discussions over the land and highway access, with further work on the design, screening and mitigations as part of preparations for a full planning application."

A further £500,000 was allocated at the meeting to support the delivery of the plans, which already has £1.1 million already put aside, with a further £9.1 million in the 2016/17 budget and £12.5 million from the Local Enterprise Partnership Economic Development Fund.

There were over thirty speakers at Wednesday evening’s meeting, including eleven-year-old Harry Adams, who addressed Cllrs Tim Warren and Anthony Clarke directly. He said that his geography class had been studying the issue and could see no need for a park and ride on this site, expressing his fears for wildlife on the Meadows and hoping for an answer from Cllr Clarke to the letter he had written him.

Lib-Dem Councillor, Neil Butters, (Bathavon South), offered the Conservative-run Council suggestions to move forward without building on the Meadows. He said: "The nature of the problem has changed over the last few years and we need to look at it with fresh eyes."

He welcomed the drive to upgrade the A350 through the western outskirts of Chippenham, including improving Junction 17 on the motorway, a bypass for Westbury and a new Junction 18A. But he also called for a further reduction in traffic coming from the A46 by improving signage for Lansdown Park and Ride with repeater signs and a further roundabout at Tog Hill to ease congestion.

His main point though was for rail links to be looked at in greater detail. He said: "My main suggestion comes in the wake of Bristol City’s recent announcement for a major rail inquiry, to examine the potential for extending MetroWest - currently due to run from Bath Spa station empty to, and terminate in, the freight loop at Bathampton.

"Up until very recently, the main problem with expanding rail provision has been an acute shortage of rolling stock. With the Crossrail project and GWR electrification, however, that is set to change radically.

"We need to be looking seriously at reopening not only Corsham station, but perhaps also one of the former stations at Box, and running MetroWest on at least to Chippenham - where there is an unused main platform; but probably further to Oxford.

"On the Trowbridge line, there should be longer, faster trains - some perhaps running non-stop to Westbury, on to Frome - and indeed Radstock via the new, private North Somerset Railway.

"In short, rail travel could easily become a great deal more attractive locally, and in a fairly short space of time. We need to seize the opportunities in front of us."

Passionately disagreeing with his Conservative colleagues at the meeting, Cllr Martin Veal (Bathavon North), spoke against the plans and said he could not support the motion, accusing the Council of condemning the valley to be "mutilated forever" and reminding fellow Councillors of their duty of care to residents.

However, some also spoke in support of the plans, including Ian Bell, Executive Director of Bath’s Chamber of Commerce, who said that a new Park and Ride in this area of the city would be "sending out a clear message to the world that Bath is very much open for business."