Plans have been submitted to develop the historic Bath Press Site into a new mixed-use creative development.
St James’s Investments, who recently bought the former printing house, are working with Tesco to develop plans for the site which will pay tribute to its heritage.
The site is well located on the edge of Bath city centre where it has remained largely vacant for a number of years. The site has a long and varied history, dating from 1889, when Sir Isaac Pitman first built on the site, and has since been extended and rebuilt several times. The latest rebuild took place in 1934 and included the stone façade that is still in place today.
Although not recognised as a listed building under the Local Plan, the proposed plans incorporate the existing facade as a tribute to the history of the site, reminding visitors of its past.
The new proposals include the creation of creative workspace, new modern office accommodation, new homes, community facilities and a new food store.
Tom Dugay of Alder King Property Consultants, sole marketing agents for the development, comments: “This is a wonderful opportunity to bring such an important site back to life. We have been encouraged by the support for this scheme and believe that a new centre for creative / technology based industries is essential, to help businesses in Bath during these challenging financial times.”
The proposals for the 7.5 acres (3.05 hectares) site include 67,813 sq ft (6,300 sq m) of Retail space; 49299 sq ft (4,580 sq m) of Creative work units; 28,094 sq ft (2,610 sq m) of Office space; 8719 sq ft (810 sq m) of Residential space including 10 dwellings; 2,368 sq ft (220 sq m) of Community space and 425 basement car parking spaces.
Workshop and office accommodation will be made available from 500 sq ft (46.5 sq m) upwards, targeting the small to medium sized companies, local to the Bath area.
Once completed, the new mixed-use site is expected to house 40 to 50 businesses, and could create over 600 jobs. The local traffic infrastructure will also benefit from the development, with improvements to the existing facilities taking place.
