The National Trust has submitted a planning application to Bath & North East Somerset Council for a major refurbishment of Bath’s Assembly Rooms.
The Assembly Rooms in Bath | Photo © A G Baxter / Shutterstock.com
The trust says the £17m-plus project reflects the changes needed to improve the historic building’s energy efficiency and lessen climate impact, as well as enabling access for everyone.
The building in Bennett Street, which housed the world-famous Fashion Museum until 2022, had been let to the council since 1937.
The National Trust enforced a break clause to take it back. The council is planning to create a new museum with a purpose-built collections study centre at the old Post Office on New Bond Street but last year suffered a setback after its bid for £20m of Levelling Up funding from the government failed.
The proposed changes at the Assembly Rooms form part of the development of a planned new Georgian visitor experience, due to open in late 2026, ensuring that the Rooms continue to be an important community space and cultural venue within the city.
The National Trust says the project aims to achieve the highest standards of access within a heritage setting.
Proposals include a new staircase to replace the current post-war construction, along with a lift to all floors including offices and a Changing Places toilet.
Ambitious changes are also planned to reduce the building’s carbon footprint, including strategically placed air source heat pumps, solar panels and a new electricity substation.
The National Trust says the proposals have been carefully considered to minimise any impact of modern technology on the historic building and setting.
The work will celebrate the significance of the building, with careful architectural design to showcase the historic importance of the building including recent discoveries such as the Cold Bath.
The charity’s general manager for Bath, Tom Boden, said today: “This is a really exciting milestone for the project. It allows us to take a significant step towards developing an exciting and relevant future for Bath Assembly Rooms.
“While this application reflects physical changes to the building, the project team are also focused on the less tangible, researching the stories of the space in its Georgian heyday to share with future visitors and working with many community groups to explore how they’d like the rooms to function as a space within 21st-century Bath.”
The charity estimates the cost of delivering this project to be in excess of £17m and says it will be looking for external support to realise this vision.
The project team will be hosting two events for people to drop in and ask questions about the planning application.
These will take place at the Assembly Rooms on Wednesday 31st January from 4pm to 7pm and on Saturday 3rd February from 10am to 1pm.
The full planning application can be viewed on the council’s planning website. The planning reference is 23/04801/FUL and the deadline for comments is 15th February.
