Bath & North East Somerset Council’s cabinet are set to consider a report on a scheme to regenerate the Milsom Quarter in Bath, including the relocation of the Fashion Museum.
The Old Post Office in Bath | Photo © B&NES Council
The report recommends that a £2.475m funding award made by the West of England Combined Authority in September is accepted for the Masterplan project.
The Milsom Quarter Masterplan will help to revitalise the north of the city centre by attracting creative industries, providing 180 new homes and transforming the area into a nationally renowned fashion destination.
Results of an informal public consultation on the plans held from May to July this year are also summarised in the report, which will go before the cabinet on 10th November.
A total of 220 responses were received, broadly showing support for the plans with 68% of respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing with the vision for the Milsom Quarter as a destination for fashion and culture.
The provision of new homes, including some above shops, was strongly agreed or agreed with by 71% of respondents.
The Masterplan work and the consultation undertaken will also help inform a new Local Plan for the district.
Following the recent purchase by Bath & North East Somerset Council, the report also proposes that rental income from the Old Post Office during the development phase is dedicated to the £37m Fashion Museum project to support the project.
A concept of how Milsom Street in Bath could look | Image © B&NES Council
Councillor Mark Roper, cabinet member for Economic Development, Regeneration & Growth, said: “The Milsom Quarter Masterplan is a long-term vision to regenerate the north of the city by providing more homes for the community, attracting more businesses and visitors and positioning the area as a fashion destination including the Fashion Museum.
“It’s a significant and wide-ranging plan which will also improve the public realm for everybody and make it safer and easier to travel on foot or by wheel.
“We will review the recommendations made in this report carefully, especially the results of the consultation which are also important in feeding into a new Local Plan for how Bath and North East Somerset will grow and thrive. Thank you to everyone who commented.”
The six key elements of the plan are:
- Broad Street Yards – repurposing the council-owned car park to create maker space and flexible workspace for start-up businesses and SMEs.
- Walcot Gateway (Cattlemarket) – redeveloping a brownfield site and the disused Cornmarket building to create 70 new homes.
- Fashion Museum Bath – converting the listed Old Post Office to a new home for the Fashion Museum.
- Improved public realm – to reduce the dominance of vehicles, prioritising walking, wheeling and cycling, and creating greener streets.
- Energy and sustainability – reduce the carbon footprint of the area by retrofitting existing buildings and making new buildings zero-carbon.
- Repurposing upper floors of buildings to provide more homes.
The Fashion Museum Bath relocation project will also create a new Fashion Collection Archive in Locksbrook to house the collection.
The aim is for the Museum and Fashion Collection Archive to open in three to eight years’ time, dependent on fundraising.
To help deliver the project, the council has submitted a £20 million bid to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help complete the £37 million project.
