Flood of Protest

John Vidal, 18 February 2009

Back in 1994, people from all over Britain converged on Batheaston, outside Bath, to try to save beautiful countryside below Solsbury Hill from tarmac. Now the dunderheaded Bath and North East Somerset council, which appears to have learned nothing from the past, wants to desecrate the favourite green space of the village's water meadows and, at phenomenal cost, turn it into a park-and-ride site for 1,400 cars. Assuming the council has temporarily lost its mind, here is a reminder why tens of thousands of people are upset: it is a green belt conservation area, on the edge of an area of outstanding natural beauty and a wildlife reserve; the meadows are on a flood plain, and they regularly flood; the space is looked over by three villages, and is enjoyed by thousands of people. Anyone wanting to understand the anger should visit the Walcot Chapel Gallery in Bath from now to 28 February and Bath Central Library from 1-8 March when photographer Adrian Arbib will be exhibiting pictures of the earlier Solsbury Hill protest.

Read this article on The Guardian website.

Visit Adrian Arbib's website on the 1994 Solsbury Hill protests.