Block Management in Bath
Every block sits inside a World Heritage Site and one city-wide conservation area.
Plymouth Block Management provides block, estate and leasehold management in Bath for residents' management companies, RTM companies and freeholders. The whole city is inscribed as a World Heritage Site, approximately 5,000 listed buildings sit within it, and the site generates about 1,500 consent applications a year. Flood walls on the Avon range from condition grade 2 to grade 5, which bears on insurance and reserve planning.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Bath
Obtain Listed Building Consent Before Specifying Works
With approximately 5,000 listed buildings in the World Heritage Site and unauthorised work a criminal offence, we would confirm the listing status of the block and secure consent before any contractor is asked to price external works.
ConsentsBuild Consent Lead Times into Major Works
The site generates about 1,500 planning and listed building consent applications a year, the highest of any UK World Heritage Site. We would set Section 20 timetables and reserve contributions that allow for that queue.
Major works and Section 20Place Insurance on the Block's Avon Flood Position
The Environment Agency runs four warning areas for the Avon at Bath, including the Dolmeads and Grosvenor, and one flood wall sits at category 5. We would establish where the block sits and disclose that exposure when placing buildings insurance.
InsuranceRecommend Radon Measurement in Communal Areas
The council states the district is affected by radon, with at least one per cent of homes estimated above 200 becquerels per cubic metre. We would recommend measurement in ground floor communal areas and keep the result on the compliance record.
ComplianceManaging a Block in Bath at a Glance
- Local authority
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- Bath and North East Somerset Council Building Control
- Fire and rescue service
- Avon Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- Wessex Water for most addresses, with Bristol Water supplying parts of the area
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 122 miles by road, a planned journey rather than a casual one
- Setting
- Inland
What It Costs to Move a Block in Bath to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
The Whole City Is a World Heritage Site
Bath is a single city-wide conservation area of 1,486 hectares covering two thirds of the World Heritage Site, subdivided into 16 character areas. It is not a patchwork of small designations, so conservation area consent and tree notification obligations apply almost everywhere in the city. Across the wider district there are 35.
The council records approximately 5,000 listed buildings inside the World Heritage Site, with the highest concentration of Grade I and Grade II* listings outside central London: 3 per cent Grade I, 10 per cent Grade II* and 87 per cent Grade II. Unauthorised work to a listed building is a criminal offence.
Bath is doubly inscribed by UNESCO, first in 1987 and again in July 2021 as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, and is thought to be one of only 22 doubly inscribed sites worldwide. The inscription is exceptional in that it encompasses the entire urban area: both inscriptions follow the municipal city boundary, about 29 square kilometres. Every block in Bath sits inside a World Heritage Site. The council records that the site generates about 1,500 planning and listed building consent applications a year, undoubtedly the highest of any UK World Heritage Site, out of roughly 2,200 for the whole district.
One District Household in Five Lives in a Flat
Across the whole Bath and North East Somerset district at the 2021 Census, 16,969 of 79,250 households, 21.4 per cent, were in flats. The district figure understates Bath itself, because it also takes in rural North East Somerset, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Radstock. The character of the Bath stock is set by the heritage designations rather than by new build, and most historic buildings are of local honey-coloured oolitic limestone quarried at Combe Down.
Avon Flood Walls Range from Grade 2 To 5
Bath's flood risk is fluvial, from the Avon, and not tidal: the tidal limit stops downstream at Keynsham Weir. The Environment Agency runs four separate flood warning areas for the Bristol Avon at Bath, covering Grosvenor and Kensington Meadows, St Johns Road, Henrietta Gardens, Forester Avenue and the Dolmeads. The city's flood walls are not uniformly sound: the council's assessment records condition grades of 2 to 3 with one wall at category 4 and another at category 5, and a varying standard of protection. Drainage is a known weak point, with 40 per cent of the district's recorded sewer flooding incidents attributed to Bath and an ageing sewer system likely to need considerable upgrade.
The Council Treats the Whole District as Radon Affected
Bath and North East Somerset Council states that the district is an area affected by naturally occurring radon gas, meaning at least one per cent of homes are estimated to exceed the 200 becquerels per cubic metre action level.
Central Bath Offices Cannot Become Flats by Prior Approval
The council lists ten Article 4 directions, six of them in Bath, covering office to dwelling conversion, demolition of walls, estate agents' boards, houses in multiple occupation and a horse showground. The Central Bath Article 4 Direction 2018 came into force on 8 March 2019 and removes the permitted development right to convert offices to dwellings across the Widcombe, Abbey and Kingsmead wards, so new residential blocks in central Bath cannot be created by prior approval and must go through full planning.
Tribunal Decisions on Blocks in Bath
Published First-tier Tribunal decisions on named developments here, each read in full. They show what the tribunal expects of whoever runs a block in this area.
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| 133 Wells Road | Appointment of a manager | 31 January 2025 |
| 6 Hope House, Lansdown Road | Service charge | 13 October 2025 |
| 17 to 32 Hillside Road, Moorfields | Section 20 consultation | 26 October 2023 |
| The Empire, Grand Parade | Service charge | 21 December 2022 |
| St Peter's Place, Lower Bristol Road | Section 20 consultation | 3 February 2021 |
| 1 to 20 St Peter's Place, Lower Bristol Road | Lease variation | 15 August 2019 |
Neighbourhoods and Districts We Cover from Bath
Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Saltford, Peasedown St John, Paulton, Timsbury, Chew Magna, Widcombe, Lansdown, Bathwick, Combe Down, Weston, Twerton, Oldfield Park.
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Bath Questions
Is Every Block in Bath Affected by the World Heritage Designation?
Yes. Both inscriptions, from 1987 and from July 2021 as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, follow the municipal city boundary of about 29 square kilometres, so every block in Bath sits inside a World Heritage Site. The city is also a single conservation area of 1,486 hectares, so conservation controls and tree notification obligations apply almost everywhere.
Why Do Planned Works in Bath Need a Longer Lead Time?
The council records about 1,500 planning and listed building consent applications a year from the World Heritage Site, the highest of any UK World Heritage Site, out of roughly 2,200 for the whole district. With approximately 5,000 listed buildings and the highest concentration of Grade I and II* listings outside central London, a programme of external works should allow for the consent stage before tendering.
Where Does Flood Risk Come from for a Block in Bath?
It is fluvial, from the Avon, and not tidal: the tidal limit stops downstream at Keynsham Weir. Warning areas cover Grosvenor and Kensington Meadows, St Johns Road, Henrietta Gardens, Forester Avenue and the Dolmeads. Drainage is a known weak point, with 40 per cent of the district's recorded sewer flooding incidents attributed to Bath and an ageing sewer system.
Nearby Areas
Talk to Us About Your Building in Bath.
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