Keynsham Regeneration
Bath, UK
project overview
Revitalising and reinvigorating a forgotten town centre
We have worked alongside Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES) to completely transform Keynsham town centre. Working closely with the community and B&NES has enabled extensive employment growth, regeneration of the centre and provided much needed new community facilities.
Our masterplan for Keynsham’s town centre is based around giving space back to the community and increasing the public realm. Keynsham Civic Centre and One-Stop-Shop is at the heart of the town centre, with almost 50% of the site area being public realm that is accessible 24-hours to the public. The civic centre and one-stop-shop is the new workplace of B&NES’ staff and has been key to enabling the council’s transition to more collaborative working practices.
The regeneration of Keynsham has revitalised the community. We repurposed the old council offices made vacant by their move into the civic centre and provided 95 much-needed apartments to create Keynsham Riverside View. We also extended and refurbished Keynsham Riverside Leisure Centre giving the community enhanced, high-quality health, wellbeing and fitness facilities.
To realise B&NES’s vision, we took a multi-phased approach over a ten-year period to complete the regenerative masterplan.
project journey
Working with the community to create a sustainable town centre that is fit for years to come
B&NES had identified Keynsham as having a lot to offer as a town but was needing assistance, as the town had suffered from a loss of employment after a previous closure of the Cadbury factory in 2011 – the town’s major employer. Their vision of a safe, sustainable and accessible town centre drove our masterplan.
The masterplan was split into several parts – Keynsham Civic Centre and One-Stop-Shop, extensive community facilities, new homes and public realm improvements. Keynsham Riverside View provides the community with low-cost housing with no compromise on luxury. An extended and refurbished Keynsham Leisure Centre which joins the two residential buildings. Across the masterplan, we have also included retail space, new restaurants and bars, a youth club and highways improvements.
We redesigned large parts of the town centre in the masterplan, which included many 1960’s developments which were unloved and dilapidated. The town centre site was also very challenging, with a steep gradient and an 8m level difference, bordered by a conservation area and parkland.
As well as working with the council to deliver the town centre they envisaged, consulting the community was critical to the success of this project. During the 12 months leading up to the planning application we benefited from multiple engagement meetings with over 20 different stakeholder groups. These meetings informed proposals which were shared at various public events. We also collaborated with specially established focus groups. This robust process has ensured that Keynsham is a town centre which is fit for the community and that they can be proud of.
REGENERATION
Reviving a town centre by creating community spaces, homes and jobs
By reusing and transforming B&NES’s vacant 1960s council offices into contemporary apartments, Keynsham Riverside View provides much-needed housing for the community drawn to the area by new employment opportunities.
key information
Project summary
Location
Keynsham, Bath
Client
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Completion
2015 - 2020
Value
£50m
Environmental
Civic Centre and One-Stop-Shop
DEC ‘B’ Rating
EPC ‘A’ Rating
Size
9,600 m2
Includes
Office
Library
One-Stop-Shop
96 apartments
Leisure centre
Retail
Bars and restaurants
Two new pedestrian streets
Market square
Car parking
Awards
Civic Centre and One-Stop-Shop
BCO National Awards 2015
Winner - Best of the Best
RIBA South West Awards 2015
Winner - Award and Sustainability
RIBA South West Property Insider Awards 2015
Winner - Commercial Workplace of the Year
Riverside View
Bristol Property Awards 2020
Winner - Transformation
Team
Meet the team behind the project
Contact
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