Bath Spa University is celebrating possibly one of the most unusual accolades in its history – Gold Accreditation for being a hedgehog-friendly campus. The award, from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, comes just a year after the university achieved Silver status. Hedgehogs are listed as vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature...
A spin-out company from the University of Bath is set to develop ultralight and low-carbon next-generation materials for the aerospace and automotive industries. Aerogel Core has been set up by engineers from the university to specialise in products containing innovative and environmentally friendly aerogels for use in soundproofing and heat shielding. The team’s research...
Bath’s long-awaited creative centre in the city’s former Stothert & Pitt crane works has been officially launched – with more than half the space already let. The once-derelict riverside buildings on Lower Bristol Road have been transformed by developer and regeneration specialists TCN into modern workspace of the type that firms in Bath’s burgeoning creative...
A hotel near Bath is to give discounts on overnight stays if guests commit to helping make it a more sustainable venue, including taking quicker showers and reusing towels. Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort, pictured, says the aim is to educate guests on its energy conserving practices by encouraging them to adopt sustainable...
The High Court has dismissed the legal challenge brought against the Planning Inspectorate’s permission for Bristol Airport’s expansion. The Planning Inspectorate decided last February to allow the airport to increase its annual limit on passengers from 10m to 12m after North Somerset Council rejected the plan, which includes major investment in the existing terminal building,...
A pioneering energy-based net zero housing policy being introduced by Bath & North East Somerset Council has been slammed as ‘undeliverable’ by the building industry’s trade association. The council has become the first in England to successfully adopt the move, which it sees as part of its commitment to tackling the climate emergency. It...
A new Institute for Sustainability that will bring together expertise in tackling the most pressing climate and sustainability issues has been launched by the University of Bath. Led by leading sustainability academics at the university, research at the institute will be focused around two themes: sustainable chemical technologies and sustainable systems. The sustainable chemical...
Regional law firm Michelmores’ property awards – regarded as among the most prestigious in the South West – are returning this year after last being staged in 2021. This year will also mark the 20th anniversary of the contest, which celebrates the best property, development and construction projects in the region and have long-championed sustainability...
The achievements of business figures from the Bath area along with those from the not-for-profit sector have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list for 2023. Toby Sutton and Jack Churchill, pictured, co-founders of tech innovator Scanning Pens, which produces pens that help dyslexic children and adults to read, received OBEs for services to international trade...
Confidence among South West businesses continued to rise in December after a surprise recovery the previous month – with firms ending the year in a rare upbeat mood. The latest monthly Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking reveals firms reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 15 percentage points at 34%. Taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 10...
