Planning permission to redevelop the North Range building in Walcot Yard has been granted by Bath and North East Somerset Council, with terraced houses set to replace the former workshops at the site.
Walcot Yard, a site off Walcot Street in the centre of Bath, comprises three main components: The North Range, the Riverside Buildings (North and South) and Upper Yard.
The site is within the City of Bath Conservation Area, the World Heritage Site and is close to a number of listed buildings.
The application to redevelop the building was submitted by planning, design and regeneration consultancy Nash Partnership on behalf of the site’s owners, London & Argyll Developments, who purchased the yard from Bath City Council in 1996.
The North Range component of the yard is in poor structural condition. Studies supporting the recent planning application show the building’s conversion would require the replacement of most of its structural elements.
In 2009, the Council granted planning permission for the re-development of the upper part of the yard subject to the conclusion of a Section 106 legal agreement for planning obligations. This scheme, which includes a courtyard of eight three-bedroomed houses, is being commenced by Bath-based developers Kersfield.
The recent permission addresses the last part of the yard, known as the North Range. This is the site of former workshops which look only onto the yard, and into the riverside gardens of Ladymead House, now in residential use.
The replacement has been designed by Nash Partnership. It will be three storeys and create a row of terraced houses down the site using the same materials and colours that have brought character to the yard in recent decades.
Commenting on the permission, Nash Partnership’s Director of Planning Mike Fox said: “After nearly ten years of inactivity, Walcot Yard will be able to contribute to the vibrant and diverse range of shops and small-scale, independent businesses nearby.
“The North Range scheme will provide a distinctive new development of seven townhouses, which maximises the site’s use and minimises the impact upon surrounding heritage assets.
“Providing new housing in this central location will also help to foster more sustainable lifestyles by providing housing within easy access to jobs, shops and services by foot, bicycle and public transport – a key Council policy aim.”
