Major mixed scheme in Bath comes to market
A significant residential-led mixed use development site at the former Bath Press in the city has been brought to the market.
The site is located in a part of the city on Lower Bristol Road, to the west of the city centre, within the World Heritage Site boundary and Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area.
Extending to approximately 1.14 hectares (5.3 acres) the site has resolution to grant planning permission for a development of 277 high-quality dwellings.
The scheme includes a mix of 247 apartments and 30 townhouses, alongside 1,505 sq. m. (16,200 sq. ft) of ground floor office space fronting Lower Bristol Road.
The site, which has been vacant since 2007, was originally home to the Pitman Press, founded by Sir Isaac Pitman in 1889.
Pitman devised a system of shorthand and by 1874 was an established editor, printer and publisher on an industrial scale. While many of the buildings were demolished under a previous consent, the frontage of the original printworks, which is locally listed, has been preserved, together with the original chimney.
The proposed development, designed by architects, CDA, and landscape architects, Macgregor Smith, incorporates the historic elements with contemporary architecture, proposing high quality materials throughout.
The apartments, which have been designed in conjunction with a Build to Rent (BtR) operator, encompass one, two and three bedroom units, which are principally four storeys, with an additional storey on three of the blocks.
The original façade and chimney will be incorporated into the apartment scheme, with the proposals including a private roof terrace around the main chimney.
The masterplan for the scheme also incorporates a further two roof terraces and three landscaped areas, including a playground. It also provides 122 car parking spaces and cycle stores with capacity for 596 spaces across the site.
Ben Taylor, a director in Savills development team in Bristol, said: ‘We are delighted to be offering the former Bath Press site to the market. Sites of this nature and scale are exceptionally rare in Bath and, even more so, those with detailed planning permission.’
