Haydon Batch Masterplan

Following the purchase of Haydon Batch by Radstock Town Council in 2019, a draft masterplan for the site has now been produced and the Town Council is keen to know the views of local people on the proposals.

For anyone who does not already know, Haydon Batch is a 7.9 hectare (19.6 acre) piece of land just under one mile from the centre of Radstock and immediately to the west of the village of Haydon. Most of the site comprises of a disused colliery spoil heap that is now covered by rich grassland and maturing woodland.

The batch was the site for deposition of spoil from Kilmersdon Colliery, otherwise known as Haydon Pit. The pit head was the other side of the road and spoil was brought to the site via a tramway across the road. The colliery was closed in 1973, then during the 1970’s and early 80’s, a coal recovery operation was undertaken to remove remnants of coal from within the spoil. Following this, the site was landscaped, with a system of drainage diches installed to help prevent surface erosion and some areas of plantation woodland. From then onwards, the site has been unofficially used as a public greenspace.

When the site came up for sale in 2018, it was acquired by Radstock Town Council (with the purchase being completed in 2019) in order to preserve it from development and retain it as a public greenspace.

In 2021, Radstock Town Council commissioned New Leaf Studio, a local practice of Landscape Architects to come up with a masterplan for treatment and improvement of the site. New Leaf Studio know the area well, having previously been responsible for the Radstock Memorial Gardens by the museum and more recently, working with Midsomer Norton Town Council and Westfield Parish Council.

To help inform production of the draft masterplan, a workshop meeting was held at the Haydon Village Hall / Que Club in July 2021. This was attended by invited members from various stakeholder groups, including Youth Connect South West, Radstock In Bloom, Radstock Councillors, Haydon Allotments, Avon Valley / Cam Valley Wildlife Group, Creativity Works, Westfield Parish Council, Hylton Estate, Haydon Que Club and Haydon Football Club, Haydon Community Garden, Radstock Museum, Zero Waste Eco Group, local resident representatives and Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Somer Valley Rediscovered Project Manager. This session explored possibilities and opportunities for the site and was a chance for various concerns to be voiced.

The landscape architect and Town Clerk also met with the Youth Group organised by Youth Connect South West at the St Nicholas’ Church Tea Rooms in September 2021. This was a less structured session, attended by around 20-30 young people. It helped give an insight into features and uses that might be attractive to a younger audience.

Following that, New Leaf Studio has been working to gain a fuller understanding of the features of the site and to produce the draft masterplan. Now the Town Council is keen to know your views, so will be staging an exhibition of the proposals in the Community Hub & Library between 18th and 25th March. The exhibition will be manned by the Landscape Architect and Town Council Staff on Friday 18th between 2.00 and 5.00pm and on Saturday 19th between 10.30am and 3.00pm. This gives you a chance to come along to ask questions and discuss any concerns. The exhibition will then remain available to view for the rest of the week at normal Community Hub & Library opening times.

From the18th, a questionnaire will be available for you to give your views. This can either be picked up at the exhibition or accessed online via www.radstock-tc.gov.uk/about-radstock/things-to-do/ parks-green-spaces.

On Sunday 20th March, the exhibition will be temporarily moved to the site itself between 10.30am and 12.00 noon and there will be a guided walk of the site beginning shortly after 10.30am, led by Miriam Woolnough, Bath & North East Somerset's Somer Valley Rediscovered Project Manager, and Andy King from New Leaf Studio. No need to book, just turn up – all are welcome.

THE MASTERPLAN

A reduced size copy of the masterplan is reproduced here. Unfortunately at this scale you will not be able to read all the details, but hopefully together with the descriptions below, it gives a taster of the proposals in advance of the exhibition.

Entrances There are currently many entrances to the site, some official, coinciding with established rights of way and some informal or unofficial on desire line paths. It is planned to make more of a feature of all the official entrances with some form of sign board identifying the site and an information panel with a map of the site and details of key features of interest and main path routes.

The informal entrances will simply be marked with a marker post including the site name and Radstock Town Council branding.

The principal entrances will also be made more accessible to all users. While access by off road motorcycles was a concern raised at the stakeholder consultation event in July 2021, it is felt that any physical feature to actually prevent such access not only looks ugly and unwelcoming but also discriminates against a number of legitimate users, including mobility scooters and pushchairs.

With greater use of the site and formalisation of some of the paths, it is also likely to become less attractive to motorcyclists. Thus open, unhindered entrances are currently proposed which can be reviewed if the issue of motorcycles becomes more significant at a later date.

Improved Access for All As a general principal it is intended to improve access to all, to all areas of the site. However in practice, the site topography and characteristics of path routes beyond the site boundary reduce the practicability and level of reasonableness in making all routes fully accessible. However some relatively low key improvements to path widths and surfaces will significantly improve accessibility.

The relatively level grassland plateau on top of the batch which has level access from Kilmersdon Road and the best connection to public transport will be improved to provide a fully accessible circuit route.

Localised improvements are proposed to other main paths in order to provide better width (where currently narrow), better year round, relatively mud free surface and to reduce gullying and erosion on steep paths.

Improvements to paths will comprise an un-bound crushed stone surface, to retain the natural informal character of the site.

Football Pitch Although not part of the Haydon Batch project, not on land within the Town Council’s ownership or control and not part of the current consultation, there are locally led proposals to provide a football pitch and associated changing facilities next to the Que Club and allotments. This will potentially have an impact on proposed changes to the Batch site in its vicinity due to: changes to the current car park affecting the entrance to the batch; the football pitch would also need to take up a small corner of the Radstock Town Council land and earthworks to provide a level pitch may also need to extend a little into the Batch site.

However the pitch and club house also provides opportunities for use of these facilities for events in conjunction with the Batch.

Events & Recreation Lawn

At the stakeholder consultation event, many ideas for potential events, making use of the site, were discussed. It was largely agreed that if the proposed football pitch proceeds, that this provides the best area for formalised organised events that require a large flat area of grass. In addition, this will be close to electricity and water supply in the club house / changing rooms.

It is however recognised that some less formal events and other larger events may require additional level grass space available even when the football pitch is in use for football. A level (mown) grass area is therefore proposed within the Batch site. This oval space makes use of an area that is already close worn grass, and that will only need minimal levelling, so will have minimal impact on the species rich grassland.

Shelter

A small, simple, but elegant open shelter (yet to be designed) is proposed at one end of the events and recreation lawn. This will provide a landmark focal point on top of the batch and shelter from the weather to be enjoyed by daily visitors, as well as helping to accommodate a wider range of events.

At the other end of the lawn, a toposcope has been suggested. Again its exact detail is yet to be determined, but this could be a sculptural feature, that points out key points of interest and our mining heritage.

Seats & Picnic Benches

There are currently no opportunities to sit and relax on site other than by sitting on the grass. A number of seats and picnic benches are proposed to increase the potential for visitors to linger and fully enjoy the site. The exact number of these and locations are details requiring further consideration.

Conversation Circle

Another proposed feature intended to form a more intimate space is the Conversation Circle. This will be a simple circle of stone boulders set into the western slopes of the site, taking advantage of the views and providing a space for relaxation or informal meetings of perhaps 6-8 people to sit on the boulders in a ring.

Jubilee Tree

Tree planting on site does not form part of proposals generally, as it is not necessarily appropriate to the nature of the site or the intention to maintain the biodiverse open grass habitat areas. However given the loss of the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee tree (planted in 1897) from the centre of Radstock in 2012, as part of a road improvement scheme and HM Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, planting a new tree in honour of this event, 125 years after the former tree was planted, has been suggested.