New plan for old print site adds homes
Fresh plans have been unveiled to build 286 homes on the site of a former printworks in Bath - 40 more than previously agreed.
Aberdeen Standard Investments’ previous vision for the former Bath Press site was to build 244 homes that would have been available on the open market, plus office space.
Work had been due to finish by the summer of 2019, but stalled due to viability issues.
A new application submitted this week proposes 256 flats and 30 houses on a build-to-rent basis and commercial floorspace with a range of potential uses. There would be no affordable houing with the applicant saying the emphasis would be on delivering the scheme where others had not been realised.
Aberdeen Standards Investments said: “Whilst the applicant regrets not being able to provide affordable housing on site ... their focus is to actually deliver the development on a site that has seen schemes stall for viability reasons previously.
“It is important to highlight that all previously approved schemes that proposed affordable housing haven’t been delivered and therefore have failed to deliver any housing at all.”
The Bath Press building dates from the 1880s. It has been vacant since 2007.
Demolition work got under way in 2017, leaving a large pile of rubble, but the facade of the Bath Press building is being retained.
The new proposals say an historic chimney will have to be removed.
There are no changes to the built footprint, overarching design principles, or scale and massing from the previous scheme, although the underground car park has been removed. There would be parking for 115 cars - again less than the council expects - and 520 bikes.
The applicant is taking advantage of new planning rules, proposing 1,200 square metres of commercial space that could be used as a shop, cafe, restaurant, office or for healthcare uses.
The change will “ensure the space is attractive to all potential occupiers, rather than just those seeking office space, reducing the chance of vacancy” and create up to 54 jobs.
The plans say: “The proposed scheme would deliver the significant benefits of providing a deliverable mixed-use scheme that would meet market demands on an under-utilised brownfield site.
“It proposes an appropriate mix of new, high-quality housing, together with flexible commercial floor space.”
Bath and North East Somerset Council will decide the fate of the application.