Student block aparthotel bid sparks outcry

Residents have hit out at plans to temporarily change part of a student housing block in Bath into an “aparthotel”.

The owners of Twerton Mill, iq, submitted a planning application on December 15, 2020, to change the use of part of the 330-bed complex for a “one-off period in 2021”.

The plans are pending consideration by Bath and North East Somerset Council, with a target decision date of February 12, 2021.

Accommodation providers have been hit hard by the pandemic, as many students decided to study online from their family home.

However, locals have raised concerns about the lack of parking available near Twerton Mill, inset.

Some also feared the scheme would take business from independent hotel owners, who are already struggling due to the pandemic.

John Branston said: “Since Twerton Mill was approved as a ‘no-car’ development in 2015, it has given rise to levels of parking which have detriment a l ly affected the area (as acknowledged by Highways’ response) with B&NES finding subsequent enforcement to be impossible for all the reasons that residents spelled out to them when objecting to the development at the application stage.”

Mr Branston also said it would be a “significant injustice” to increase competition for hoteliers in the city, who have already “borne the brunt” of the tourist industry’s collapse during the pandemic. He then went on to consider the students’ point of view in having a stream of strangers coming and going on-site. He said: “Parents pay handsomely for their children to live and study in a safe environment among fellow students.

“How many parents would have envisaged ‘outside’ aparthotel customers of all ages to be roaming the same corridors as their children at all hours of the night?”

John Hicks also believed the development’s change of use could only add to residents’ frustration with pavement parking on the Lower Bristol Road.

He said he “strongly urged” the council to reject the application “to prevent the further deterioration of the quality of life for the local residents”.

Judith Anderson expressed concern for Bath’s visitor sector and said: “The established hotels and B&BS in Bath are already suffering hugely as a result of the pandemic and it simply isn’t right that IQ can take some of that market from them.”

She added: “Twerton Mill is 2 miles from the station and there is no parking at the site; the 80 visitors per night that IQ hopes to attract will simply drive around the residential streets of Twerton, looking for parking.”

In response, a spokesman for iq student accommodation said: “Every summer, rooms at Twerton Mill are open to non-students and groups for short term stays, to make good use of the accommodation.

“We are looking to extend this programme this year. We are very sensitive to local parking concerns, which is why all residents are contractually obliged not to park within 3km of the building unless they are the holder of a valid disabled parking permit.

“We would apply a similar Call 0117 2295035 or Search ‘Avon Valley Care’

online or on Facebook restriction to any short-term guests

Avon Valley Care Home in the terms and conditions for Tenniscourt Road

Kingswood

Bristol | BS15 4JW their stay.”

When the original application was submitted last month, the company said: “The pandemic has had a significant impact on student numbers during the 2020/21 academic year.

“Therefore, bed spaces at Twerton Mill are significantly underutilised, and permission is sought through the enclosed application to temporarily make some of these beds available to non-student residents. The proposals will benefit existing residents by increasing the prospect of having ‘neighbours’ and reducing the mental health implications of isolation.”

A spokesman for iq is yet to respond to a request for a new comment in response to the concerns raised by residents.

The application is open for public consultation until January 22.