Date published: 2025-06-17 | Category: Bath, council housing, Housing, Improving people's lives, social rent properties
New homes for social rent will boost Bath & North East Somerset Council’s housing stock, following the completion of construction work at Lower Bristol Road, Bath.
The Argyle Works site, formerly the council’s Highways Maintenance Depot, has been developed to provide eight affordable, energy efficient apartments to help meet the demand for low-cost social housing in the area.
Social housing - good quality affordable housing for residents who are unable to compete on the open market - represents 14% of the housing stock in Bath and North East Somerset, lower than the national average of 17%.
The Argyle Works development is the next step in the council’s own affordable housing programme, which directly delivers housing by developing existing council properties and surplus land. The £12m B&NES Homes programme will provide 58 general needs council houses.
Three of the new homes will be prioritised for use by the council’s Children Young People and Families team and are likely to house Care Experienced Young People aged 16 to 25, a group that can face challenges in finding suitable accommodation.
Councillor Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment and Sustainable Development, said: “I am so impressed with these new properties, and my thanks go out to all the contractors who’ve contributed to such an excellent finish. These will soon be new homes for our residents, allowing us to boost the supply of much-needed good quality affordable housing in Bath and North East Somerset. The apartments will be owned directly by the council and secured in perpetuity as 100% affordable housing for social rent.
“Our recently adopted housing plan outlines our commitment to ensuring that residents have access to affordable, safe and high-quality homes and adding these eight apartments to our stock of housing for social rent enables us to directly improve those people’s lives – supporting the council’s overarching goal.”
The properties were delivered in partnership with Aequus Construction Ltd (ACL) the council’s wholly owned development company and include three one-bedroom apartments and five two-bedroom duplexes. They will be owned and managed by Bath & North East Somerset Council and three of the units will be set aside for young people.
Sally Higham, Chair of Aequus Group of Companies, said: “These properties represent the first newly constructed affordable homes delivered for the council. Built to meet high sustainability levels and in line with national space standards, we are pleased to have completed this project as we continue to support the council to meet its aspirations for more affordable housing in B&NES”
The land was unlocked with financial support from the Brownfield Land Release Fund as well as Affordable Homes Programme funding from Homes England.
Paul Britton, SW Lead for the Brownfield Land Release Fund, said: “Our funding is all about unlocking small council-owned sites across the country. It is truly great to see new affordable homes coming forward in the city.”
The completed development will be called Great Hayes Court and the finished apartments will be available through Homesearch, the council’s housing allocation scheme for social rent homes and low-cost home ownership in B&NES.
The council and ACL are also developing a social rented scheme on council-owned land at Danes Lane in Keynsham. A planning application for ten social rent flats was approved by Planning Committee and completion is due in autumn 2026. The planning application, reference 23/04190/REG03 and can be viewed on the council’s website.
More information on affordable housing can also be found on the council website. The Bath & North East Somerset Council Housing Plan 2025 to 2030 can be viewed online.
Work that partners across the area have carried out with the council as part of its Housing Plan will be discussed at the Bath & North East Somerset Housing Summit 2025 on July 11 at the Apex Hotel in Bath. The event has been organised by the Future Ambition Board’s Housing Mission Board, led by Curo.
ENDS
Photo caption: left to right Councillor Matt McCabe Bath & North East Somerset Council Cabinet Member for Built Environment and Sustainable Development; Sally Higham, Aequus Chair