Green light for 450 new homes on Homebase site

The empty space left by the closure of a major store in Bath will now be turned into a new city quarter with more than 450 homes.

- John Wimperis Local democracy reporter

Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to approve developer HUB's plan to build on the 4.45-acre site of the old Homebase, just over the river from Green Park station.

The plans also include new streets, shops, and public spaces in what has been described as an “exciting new quarter of the city”.

A total of 454 homes will be built across four blocks at the “Pines Way” development - 275 of the homes would be “built to rent” homes and the remaining 179 would be “shared living” Also known as co-living, shared living is a relatively new concept where residents have a self-contained living unit but have access to more shared amenities.

But none of the homes will be affordable housing, as it was judged not viable. The flats will not be marketed to students but the developers did not accept a condition to ban renting to students outright.

Debating the plans, planning committee member Paul Crossley (Southdown, Liberal Democrat) said: