Plans to transform the former Hinton Vauxhall garage on the Upper Bristol Road in Bath into retirement apartments have been approved by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Specialist retirement developer PegasusLife plans to demolish the former dealership, which closed in April 2015, on the Upper Bristol Road to make way for the scheme, which includes a health and wellbeing suite and a riverside cafe open to the public.
Howard Phillips, PegasusLife’s CEO said: “Having secured planning, we now want to concentrate on building well-designed homes for the local retirement community in Bath.
“The UK is in the midst of a housing crisis and to address it requires developers, planners and councils to work together to meet the needs of everyone who needs a suitable home and that includes those over sixty.
“This development will have its own thriving social hub for residents, which is designed to combat issues such as loneliness in later life, an issue that is often overlooked and yet can have a severe impact on a person’s health and wellbeing.
“Having a cafe onsite that is open to the public will ensure our development – and the people who live there – are very much a part of this vibrant city.”
The development is close to Royal Victoria Park, the Royal Crescent and also backs onto the riverside.
Plans include a mixture of one, two and ‘2+’ bedroom apartments and car parking. The social and wellbeing spaces, what the developers deem a pivotal part of any PegasusLife development, include a wellness centre, a communal lounge, guest suites as well as a riverside cafe.
PegasusLife works with industry leading partners to deliver its developments. The project team for Bath includes Barton Willmore (planning consultant), architects Allies & Morrison and Landscape Architects Camlins.