Bath is like many other cities in the UK, facing pressures on many levels. It is constrained by geography, increasingly affected by climate change, it needs more housing, better services and to balance the competing demands for growth and innovation while addressing disparate and variable social opportunity.  

The need for conservation and responsible management must be balanced against affordability, and the ongoing requirements of growth and renewal. Whilst some homes are being built, the cost is unaffordable by most and in many cases those houses being built do not respond to local demand and design quality does not match the historic backdrop. The high costs are contributing to social disparity, with social mobility and opportunity compounded and confounded for many residents.  

Sustainable development and the need for growth need practical reconciliation. 

This conference will explore how sustainable and appropriate development can take place in cities with complex planning rules and how learning from others can influence change across the UK.