19th May 2022

Care home approved

Harris Irwin Architects are delighted to announce that our flagship care home for Barchester Healthcare in Bath has been granted planning permission.

The highly bespoke home will provide 68 ensuite bedrooms, create around 75 new jobs and revitalise this corner of Bath where the site had fallen into disuse.

The new-build home occupies the location of an old factory and historic machine shop. It is within an conservation area and the setting of a Grade 2* Listed church. The site had previously seen a series of historic refusals at both planning and appeal stages for different proposals.

The original factory building will be beautifully recreated, the team having undertaken a highly detailed survey of the existing building to ensure it can be rebuilt authentically; ensuring the historic value of the site is protected.

The remaining part of the building is contemporary, taking design cues from the saw-tooth roofs of factory buildings. To the back of the building a private courtyard faces south, enjoying great sunlight and a view over the two-tunnels path.

The application, while well received by local residents, was initially refused by the local planning committee, however an Appeal Inspector overturned the local authority’s refusal, recognising the application’s high design quality and contribution the home would make to both housing and job creation.

Construction is due to begin in late 2022 with residents arriving in 2024.