By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: An 850-year old almshouse in the centre of Bath is hoping to expand.
Change of use applications are one common type of planning application which councils receive — but it is not every day that someone applies to change a building to “almshouse accommodation.” While it may sound historic, some almshouses still exist today and one of the oldest is in Bath.
St John’s Hospital was founded in 1174 and continues even today as St John’s Foundation, providing 94 affordable apartments to people over the age of 65. Queen Camilla visited its home in the centre of Bath to mark its 850th anniversary in 2024.
Now the historic foundation has submitted a planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council to convert two grade II listed Georgian townhouses in its Chapel Court complex which had been used as offices into five new almshouse apartments.
The planning application said: “The buildings have been in use as the offices of St. John’s for many years. However, the buildings provide poor office accommodation to meet modern standards, and consequently, the foundation will be vacating the property. Due to its proximity and association with the wider Chapel Court complex, the foundation wish to repurpose the space to provide further almshouse accommodation.”
A vacuum powered cylindrical glass lift would be installed within the building for residents to access the flats, a type of lift chosen to reduce the impact on the historic buildings. Meanwhile the rear facade of the building would be restored as the twentieth century rear tower housing the office’s toilets is no longer needed.
The planning application said: “The proposed re-development of 4 and 5 Chapel Court will give the site a new lease of life and secure its viability and future use. The scheme helps preserve and enhance the green space around and achieve a biodiversity net gain. The provision of a five new almshouse apartment provides clear public benefit to the city and surrounding area.”
You can view and comment on the plans here: https://app.bathnes.gov.uk/webforms/planning/details.html?refval=25%2F04789%2FFUL#documents_Section
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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