Nash Partnership has secured planning permission for the conversion of Grosvenor House on Bath’s Lower Bristol Road into purpose-built student accommodation.
Working on behalf of Bathford Partners, the proposals will transform the underused former office building into accommodation and provide up to 103 student bed spaces in a highly sustainable location close to both of Bath’s universities. Plans were approved subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Proposals for the scheme include 22 clusters with a mix of three-, five- and six-bedroom flats to serve second, third and fourth year students as well as postgraduates. The clusters will be spread over three floors, which will involve adding a new second floor in the existing structure. All flats will have a shared kitchen, living and dining room.
Originally built in the 1870s as a Great Western Railway shed, Grosvenor House is recognised as a non-designated heritage asset. It also lies within two World Heritage Sites and bounds the Bath Conservation Area. The approved scheme carefully balances the conservation of the building’s historic character with modern student accommodation, while introducing renewable energy, new landscaping, secure cycle storage and other sustainability improvements.
Our team appraised a range of alternative uses before developing the approved scheme, while also providing planning and heritage consultancy services. In collaboration with Clare Heffernan Architecture & Design, we played a role in the design process and coordinated a range of input from the wider consultant team. This included specialists in acoustics, arboriculture, landscape design, contamination, transport and travel, flood risk, energy, and air quality.
The approved scheme shows how heritage-led regeneration can bring underused historic buildings back into use while preserving the character and significance of an important part of Bath’s built environment. Our team is pleased to have secured planning consent so that work to convert this significant building can now begin.
Image courtesy of Carter Jonas