Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee is poised to decide on July 8 whether to approve another student accommodation block in the heart of Bath. The proposal involves converting Grosvenor House, a former office building on the Lower Bristol Road’s commercial hub known as “the Square,” into student flats. Council planners recommend approval, citing the building’s current vacancy and limited commercial potential.
This project would mark the second transformation of an office block in the 1990s business park to student housing, following the recent greenlight for Berkley House to become student flats earlier in 2025. Local councillor Ian Halsall of Oldfield Park (Liberal Democrat) has raised concerns, warning that such developments risk creating “a student campus by stealth,” eroding the area’s traditional commercial identity.
Councillor Halsall opposes the Grosvenor House conversion, arguing the building still holds potential as office space or, alternatively, should be repurposed as open market housing rather than student accommodation. He emphasized the site’s sustainability and its value to Bath’s housing stock: “This is a highly sustainable location and would contribute to the council’s five-year housing land supply, offering Bathonians—and graduates of our universities—a genuine chance to live in the city instead of commuting from outside areas.”
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Halsall also pointed to the University of Bath’s pending application for a substantial 962-bedroom student housing development at its Claverton Down campus, contending that student accommodation should primarily be concentrated there rather than scattered throughout the city.
Developer Bathford Partners proposes to convert Grosvenor House (also known as Cramer House) into 22 cluster flats, each featuring three, five, or six en-suite bedrooms with shared kitchens. The building would host 103 students, which planning officers equate to the equivalent of 43 family homes. The accommodation is designated for second-year students and above—aligning with typical student house-sharing patterns in the UK.
Historically, Grosvenor House was a railway goods shed dating back to 1876 before its conversion to office premises amid the redevelopment of the Square in the 1990s. The planning documents describe the area as “in transition,” noting ongoing conversions of nearby buildings to residential and student use, alongside the development of newer office spaces like those at Bath Quays South.
The planning committee will convene at 10am on Wednesday, July 8, in Bath Guildhall’s council chamber to finalize the decision.