Bath’s first council homes for more than a generation are ready for occupation

Housing News: Local Democarcy Reporter John Wimperis reports that Bath’s first council homes for more than 20 years are ready — seven flats in a refurbished Victorian villa.
There were over 600 applicants for the seven flats, which were being advertised through the Bath and North East Somerset’s Homesearch platform. The council are now “whittling down” the shortlist, with priority given to people working in the NHS.
With the flats ready for the council’s first social tenants in 20 years to move in, the Local Democracy Reporting Service was invited to take a look around.
Located near the Royal United Hospital in Bath, 117 Newbridge Hill is owned by Bath and North Somerset Council and was being used as council offices before a decision was taken to renovate it and sell it off as flats.
But after the Lib Dems took power with plans to build council housing, the development was commandeered to become their first social housing project.
The villa now contains seven homes, two of which are two-bedroom flats with their own front doors at the rear of the property, and five of which are one-bedroom flats coming off a central lobby and stairwell.
The flats will be rented at a social rent level, with the cheapest costing £91.50 a week and the most expensive £125.22.
The next plan in the pipeline is to build eight council homes on a storage yard by Argyle Works on the Lower Bristol Road. The scheme was granted planning permission at the end of September.
There are plans for 200 council homes at various stages in the pipeline.