Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee is expected to decide on July 8 whether to approve a new student accommodation block in the heart of Bath. The proposal involves converting Grosvenor House, an old office building on the Lower Bristol Road’s “Square,” into student flats—a move that some fear is turning the area into “a student campus by stealth.”
Council planning officers support the application, citing that leaving the premises vacant holds little value. If approved, Grosvenor House would be the second office block on this 1990s business park to be transformed into student housing, following Berkeley House’s recent conversion approval in February 2025.
Local councillor Ian Halsall (Oldfield Park, Liberal Democrat) has voiced strong opposition, warning that the commercial district is gradually being overtaken by student developments. “My prediction has come true,” he said, insisting that Grosvenor House still has potential as office space. Halsall argues that if office use is no longer viable, the building should instead be repurposed for open-market housing rather than student accommodation.
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He emphasized the site’s sustainability and contribution to the council’s five-year housing land supply. Halsall believes converting the building into market housing would benefit Bath residents and recent university graduates who currently struggle to find accommodation within the city, often resorting to commuting from distant areas.
Halsall also pointed out an alternative within the city’s existing infrastructure: “The University of Bath has a pending application for a 962-bedroom student accommodation development at their Claverton Down campus. This is where new student housing should be concentrated.”
The developer, Bathford Partners, proposes to convert Grosvenor House (also known as Cramer House) into 22 cluster flats with three, five, or six en-suite bedrooms and shared kitchens, accommodating 103 students. Council officers noted that this capacity is roughly equivalent to 43 traditional houses. Additionally, the accommodation would be reserved for second-year and above students, aligning with the typical UK pattern of students moving into house shares in later years.
Originally built in 1876 as a railway goods shed, Grosvenor House was later refurbished into office space during the redevelopment of the Square in the 1990s. The current planning application describes the area as “in transition,” citing nearby conversions of buildings into residential and student properties, alongside new modern office developments like Bath Quays South.
The planning committee will convene at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8, at Bath Guildhall’s council chamber to deliberate the application.