B&NES has stressed that the planning consents for the work on the ramp mean it is intrinsically linked with the city's new bus station and the whole of the SouthGate retail development.

In a statement, the council said: "The works to the railway station including the demolition and removal of its associated access ramp were permitted by Bath and North East Somerset Council as an integral part of the wide-ranging permissions for the entire SouthGate redevelopment scheme.

"The council as local planning authority is satisfied that the works to the railway station, including the removal of the ramp access on the northern side, are fully authorised, and that the relevant permissions have not expired."

The authority granted full planning permission in September 2003, with a condition that work began within five years.

It says this happened and that, even though work on the lift and ramp did not begin until last year, earlier preparatory work including demolition of old buildings and the excavation of a hole for the shopping centre's underground car park counted as the start.

Separate listed building consent was given in June 2002 and the council originally stipulated that work should start within five years. But in August 2006, it amended the planning permission to give the developer another three years. Again, the council says that work had started before the three years were up, with the removal of phone boxes in Dorchester Street in 2007 the trigger for the listed building consent.

The council added: "The fact that the development has been implemented on a phased basis is of no significance, and the entire development remains lawful."

A spokesman said: "All these early works pre-dated the work on the railway station by a considerable period, but formed integral parts of the same overall permissions as the later works to the railway station. From those early implementations onwards, the permissions had been secured and did not subsequently expire as suggested by Mr Ambrosino."

The listed building consent has several other conditions attached to it, specifying agreements that needed to be in place before work could start. These conditions are officially still active because although the agreements have been finalised, the council cannot formally sign them off until aspects of the work have been completed and it is happy Multi has kept its promises.