At a meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council's cabinet, councillors approved an amendment to the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone Local Development Order and noted the Treasury Management Monitoring Report. They also agreed to implement a supported housing development on Englishcombe Lane.

Somer Valley Enterprise Zone (SVEZ) Local Development Order (LDO) Amendment

The cabinet voted to adopt an amendment to the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone (SVEZ) Local Development Order (LDO), which had been recommended by the Local Planning Authority (LPA). Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development, was delegated authority to make future amendments to the LDO within specific parameters.

The SVEZ is a 13.5-hectare site allocated for employment uses in the B&NES Local Plan since 2007. The LDO grants planning permission for development of plots and buildings within the Use Classes B2¹, B8², C1³, E⁴ and sui generis⁵, subject to conditions and limitations.

The amendment includes updated proposals for the Thicket Mead roundabout and A362 works next to Sunnyside. It also amends condition 12 of the LDO to allow for the submission and approval of final technical highway plans.

According to the officer's report, the changes to the highway infrastructure plans are considered sensible updates to reflect ongoing detailed design and will not materially alter the impacts of the proposed development. The amendments will also have some beneficial impacts in providing better linkages with the Somer Valley Links Project.

The report notes that during the statutory consultation, 27 representations were received, including 10 general comments and 17 objections. Concerns were raised about the location of a proposed crossing near the roundabout, the practicality and safety of the proposed cycle route, and potential increases in congestion.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) concluded that the SVEZ scheme is unlikely to have an adverse impact on people with protected characteristics⁶.

B&NES Homes Programme - Englishcombe Lane Supported Housing Scheme

The cabinet agreed to implement the development of 16 units of specialist supported housing on land to the rear of 89-123 Englishcombe Lane, Bath, as approved in planning application reference number 24/01168/REG03. The Director of Capital & Housing Delivery was delegated authority to accept Homes England Grant and make other relevant delivery decisions.

The report states that the scheme will provide supported housing with care for around 16 tenants, creating an environment sensitive to the particular needs of the client group, enabling people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live as independently as possible. It will also reduce the necessity for people to move out of the area to access housing, care, and support.

The scheme will be owned by B&NES, with B&NES Homes providing housing management services and Adult Social Care commissioning the care and support needed.

The key risks at this stage include funding delays, ground and infrastructure cost uncertainty, market engagement challenges, ecological sensitivities, retaining wall design complexity, demand risk, and construction traffic and access disruption.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) showed that there were no actual or potential negative or adverse impacts.

Treasury Management Monitoring Report to 30th June 2025

The cabinet noted the Treasury Management Report to 30th June 2025, prepared in accordance with the CIPFA Treasury Code of Practice⁷, and the Treasury Management Indicators to 30th June 2025.

The report provides details of performance against the council's Treasury Management Strategy for the first three months of 2025/26.

Key points from the report:

• All Treasury Management Indicators for 2025/26 are within target levels.
• The estimated average rate of return on operational investments for the period 1 April 2025 – 30 June 2025 is 4.29%, which is 0.03% above the 7 Day SONIA⁸ benchmark rate of 4.26%.
• The council's revenue budget for interest & capital financing costs for 2025/26 is currently forecast to be £0.175m under budget, due to lower borrowing rates achieved on year-to-date borrowing compared to budgeted rates.
• The council's external borrowing as at 30 June 2025 totalled £279.3m.
• At 30 June 2025, the council had £40.4m in investments, with £30.4m in short-term liquid investments and £10m in externally managed strategic funds.