Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee has unanimously approved a significant housing development on the western half of the former Bath Press site. The developer, City & Country, acquired the land in 2024 and is actively constructing homes on the eastern half, nestled behind the site’s historic façade.
The new approval allows for 220 additional homes to be built, bringing the total number of residences across the entire Bath Press site to 366. Simon Vernon-Harcourt of City & Country described the project as a transformation of a “sterile brownfield site” into a thoughtfully designed and secluded urban neighbourhood.
“Our experience in working with complex urban and heritage sites allows us to create well-designed and sustainable living spaces,” he explained. The Bath Press was once the city’s largest employer until its closure in 2007, and the site has remained largely unused for nearly two decades.
READ MORE: Coronation Street Actor Reflects on Cult Childhood and Journey to Healing
The development plans include three large blocks along Lower Bristol Road and three further blocks behind them. Additionally, a terrace of townhouses, designated as affordable housing, will be situated along Brook Road.
Local councillor June Player expressed concerns over the impact of the large flats on neighbouring Victorian two-storey houses, citing the proximity, height, and density as factors that could affect residents’ privacy and enjoyment of their homes.
However, some council members welcomed the development. Fiona Gourley remarked that it was encouraging to see progress on a site that had been empty for so long, while Tim Warren emphasised the need for new housing.
Out of the total 366 homes, 34 will be designated as affordable housing. Although this falls below the usual 30% requirement, the committee was informed that increasing this proportion would jeopardise the project’s viability.
Keith Bradley, from local architectural firm Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, commented on the design approach: “We have crafted a distinctive, sustainable neighbourhood that honours Victorian Bath’s character while creating a greener gateway to the city. This marks a crucial step in revitalising a long-neglected brownfield site and completing the regeneration of this vital area with a place that feels connected and built to last.”
Historically, the Bath Press originated as the Pitman Press, printing dictionaries for Pitman’s Shorthand, invented by Bath’s Sir Isaac Pitman. The site’s notable art deco facade was constructed incrementally until 1926.
Current homes available at the redeveloped site are priced from £350,000 for one-bedroom apartments to £900,000 for four-bedroom townhouses.