Public and socio-economic benefits

PUBLIC BENEFIT

• Riverside regeneration – creation of new public realm along riverside including enhanced planting and biodiversity. New open and colonnaded walkway (“Spring Gardens Walk”) with new spaces to pause, sit, dwell and enjoy views back to the city; complementing the council’s river line and river spaces projects.
• New city views – creation of new views and viewpoints back to the city and key heritage assets, supporting the city’s Outstanding Universal Values.
• Sustainable city gateway – provision of new secure cycle and e-scooter storage points providing a new sustainable travel gateway into the city. Potential for provision of new charge points and “travel club” change and shower facilities.
• Enhancing the impact of Bath Recreation Ltd – security of enhanced long-term rent paid to landlord Bath Recreation Ltd which will invest the rental income in recreation and well-being projects across Bath over the long term.
• Access improvements – new public steps and accessibility lift to riverside proposed by Leisure Centre to enhance riverside access for all.
• Public amenity – maintained public toilets including accessible toilets, Changing Places toilet, and baby changing facilities for members of the public outside matchdays.
• Enhanced Recreation Ground drainage – improvements to the underground drainage of the outfield and other enhancements to improve the quality of the Recreation Ground outfield for community users.
• East stand facilities – provision of toilets, power and other services/amenities to support use of the outfield by community users.
• Provision of workspace for charities – outside of matchdays collaborative work and meeting space will be available for use by local charities to support the critical work they do in and around the city

Social-economic benefits

The socio-economic benefit of redeveloping the stadium has been independently assessed for previous schemes. A new assessment is being prepared based on the current proposals and will be submitted as part of the planning application.

Stadium redevelopment will provide significant public benefits including:

• Benefit to city economy from visitor spend
• Economic uplift from construction
• Increased on-going employment
• Enhanced social value
• Sporting participation and well-being
• Sports participation and well-being officer role

Bath Rugby Foundation

Bath and the wider B&NES area is subject to great inequality, and many local residents including children and young people experience significant challenges in life.

• Average life expectancy in Bear Flat 9.3 years longer than in Twerton less than 2 miles away.
• Education attainment gap in B&NES 31% vs national average 20%.
• 20% children in B&NES live in poverty, increasing to 33% in specific parts of B&NES.
• Average annual investment in Alternative Learning Hub student by BRF of £5,000 to support participants finding employment; average annual future cost of benefits system of £75,000 if not contributing to society.

Bath Rugby Foundation estimates that there are approximately 10,000 young people across B&NES who suffer from an unequal chance in life.

Every year since 2003, BRF has supported 3-4,000 young people providing them with support, helping them gain confidence, supporting them to build life skills and create pathways to independence.

BRF’s work helps build resilience in young people and creates opportunities through tailored support, education and employment opportunities, for example through their ground-breaking Alternative Learning Hub education programmes.

The new stadium will provide a new dedicated home for BRF, enabling it to at least double the impact it has through the children and young people it helps across B&NES with dedicated office space, learning and other practical activity space.