Bath Homebase Closing Date Still Uncertain

Guild Living - the owner of the land upon which Homebase's Bath store is located - has applied to demolish the building.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has received a planning application to tear down the store, ahead of a planned application to build almost 300 assisted living apartments, a nursery and retail space on the Pines Way site, which is expected to create 160 jobs.   

The council is expected to make a decision by 20th November.

Homebase had planned to close the store in November 2018, but announced in October 2018 that it would remain open for a further year.  

The public were invited to an exhibition of the plans on 22nd October, which state that the demolition will take place no earlier than 3rd February, 2020.

A Guild Living spokeswoman told local press: "Following the announcement that Homebase will be shutting its Pines Way store, an application has been submitted to Bath and North East Somerset Council for the demolition of the Homebase building.   

"The site’s owner, Guild Living, has submitted the application which will allow the site to be cleared in preparation for any future redevelopment, which will be subject to the submission of a detailed planning application.        

"Guild Living is aspiring to deliver a unique retirement community in the South West creating new homes for later living with academically-accredited wellness programmes to enable and enrich independent, active later lives.

"If this application and subsequent detailed application is approved, the plans for the site have the potential to bring many benefits to the city including the creation of up to 160 full-time jobs.

"The development would also contribute to Bath and North East Somerset Council’s five-year housing supply targets for the area and act as a catalyst for the future regeneration of the wider area as defined in the council’s recently adopted Placemaking Plan.

"Guild Living’s proposals for the 4.5-acre riverside site include nearly 300 apartments, a restaurant, a physiotherapy gym and pool, consultant rooms for GP surgeries, a children’s nursery and retail space for local businesses – all of which will be open to the local community.

"The house types available at the Pines Way site will be assisted living apartments, co-living apartments and transitional care suites (a first for Bath). The proposals will also provide much needed key-worker accommodation."

Neither Homebase nor Guild Living responded to requests for more information by local press.

Source : Insight DIY Team

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