Turning a disused brownfield gas works site into a viable, affordable residential quarter to support the economic growth of the city.
At a glance
What went in:
Priority area addressed
Unlock brownfield sites for housing at pace.
- Placemaking: Deliver new vibrant and successful places that people can be proud of and that they can call their home whilst adding value and benefit local communities.
- Affordability: Homes that people need, in a sustainable location enabling increased housing delivery.
- Sustainable homes and places: energy and carbon efficient homes for our residents, maximising the positive contribution to our surroundings and minimising our environmental impact.
- Promoting a new, high quality and well-designed place: Integrating the schemes into the existing neighbourhoods, whilst providing new sustainable transport links throughout.
Budget
- West of England Combined Authority Land Acquisition Fund.
- Homes England Housing Infrastructure Funding (MVF).
Other resource needed
- development lead and project team
- development Advisors
- legal.
Timeframe to completion
- 2019 – 26 land remediation
- 2026 – 2035 housing delivery.
What came out
- land acquisition and land swap agreement in place
- phase one gas rationalisation works
- phase two land remediation and infrastructure works underway February 25 – May 26
- planning submitted for housing scheme: Berkeley Homes 611 homes with planning consent Dec 2024 and Bath and North East Somerset Council planning submitted for up to c.350 homes.
Executive summary
Housing is unaffordable in Bath and North East Somerset with the average housing price in Bath 18 times annual earnings and rental homes in short supply and unaffordable. Current pressure on the Housing Register is high, with over 5,300 on the register, of whom around 500 are in the most acute need bracket.
Bath and North East Somerset’s Economic Strategy highlights the lack of availability and affordability of housing as a key issue effecting the Council which also impacts on the performance of the local economy and wider sustainability issues. In Bath a shortage of rental properties means it will be more difficult than ever to find a home, rents increased by 8.8 per cent last year. All of this is contributing to Bath as joint third least affordable city in the UK.
Liberal Democrats manifesto pledge set out a 10-year action plan address market failure, with an ambition to deliver 1000 homes by 2030:
- intervene to address market failure
- ensure a pipeline of land and homes
- deliver strategically high quality and sustainable homes.
Bath Riverside will deliver on this ambition, with a package of funding support to unlock the land to bring forward delivery at pace.
Bath Riverside is a new residential quarter on former industrial gas works site requiring extensive land remediation which risks the delivery of the remaining circa 900 homes. The council decommissioned gas holders and rationalised the gas network in 2019 to 2023 and has a continuing role using external grant funding to secure delivery of this strategically important regeneration project in the heart of the Bath.
To address market failure the Council acquired land at Bath Riverside with West of England CA Land Acquisition Fund, the council acquired the three large gas holders in the centre of the site, which is approximately 30 per cent of the land. National Grid historically owned the surrounding land which has now been transferred to St William (Berkeley Homes). A land swap agreement established the land into two developable parcels.
Following engagement with Homes England the council has been allocated additional Housing and Infrastructure Funding (MVF). The funding will further unlock the site and enable the delivery of site-wide remediation and infrastructure on the Bath Riverside Gas Works site to facilitate future housing delivery by the council and Berkeley Homes.
Challenge and context
What is the background to the project?
Delivery of a priority housing site supporting the economic growth of the city. Intervention would unlock c.900 new homes to achieve comprehensive development of brownfield land by providing funding to overcome final land assembly for infrastructure and remediation. The project has an established and committed project team using a collaborative approach to secure a comprehensive layout design with shared infrastructure, sustainable transport route and placemaking.
Is there important organisational or local context?
This site is a central plank of B&NES 5-year housing supply under the Local Plan Partial Update. The significant remediation and infrastructure investment required to unlock the site renders proposed residential development unlikely without public intervention. The Homes England award provides funding for remediation and infrastructure works to unlock the land for redevelopment.
Why was the project instigated?
Council intervening in housing sector due to market failure, with the aim to maximise affordable housing delivery, sustainability and placemaking.
How did you go about setting the project up/getting it running and getting people on board with it?
Project Team in place, strategic meetings to maximise and secure funding opportunities.
Did you face any challenges at this stage? How were they managed?
Working with a private developer with different commercial aims, we had to build a relationship working together to achieve shared goals and objectives.
What were the key stages to delivering the project outcomes?
- land acquisition
- land swap agreement
- joint remediation strategy
- securing funding
- getting into contract.
The difference
What has been the wider impact of the programme?
It has been an amazing achievement seeing a redundant gas works site being remediated ready for housing development.
Contact
Helen Brewer, Development Lead