UK: Watkin Jones has received resolution to grant planning permission for a 600-unit mixed-use BTR and PBSA scheme in Bath.
The £130 million scheme will create 316 one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes across two BTR buildings, 95 of which will be classed as affordable. The scheme will also deliver 335 student homes in a third building. Completion of the scheme is expected in phases from 2024 to 2025.
The student building is targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification and the BTR towers are targeting the equivalent Home Quality Mark Level Four. Around 860 cycle parking spaces will be provided, along with a car club and electric charging points for the parking spaces available. A landscaped communal courtyard garden will be created on the first floor and further biodiversity will be added throughout the scheme, including new trees planted on the frontage.
Alex Pease, chief investment officer of Watkin Jones, said: “This scheme will offer a fantastic living experience for residents in a highly sustainable location near the centre of Bath. I’m thrilled that the committee saw the value that we will bring to the community, with hundreds of environmentally focused new homes that will appeal to a diverse range of people created on a brownfield site. The latest RICS data show that demand for rental housing is rising as sharply as supply is falling, with the South West seeing a fast-growing gap, so creating new homes to rent has never been more important. We continue to receive huge interest from institutions, which are seeking to invest in high-quality schemes that will maintain their value as places to live for residents and add desirability to the wider community for decades.”
