National self storage firm Vanguard is to open a centre on a high-profile site in Bath where a residential development was previously rejected.
The former Regency Laundry site on Lower Bristol Road was snapped up by Vanguard two-and-a-half years ago after a plan to build an innovative co-living scheme with 155 studio apartments was turned down.
Vanguard aims to open the state-of-the-art centre in November in a move it said marked “a significant milestone in the company’s strategic expansion in the UK”.
The privately-owned, family-run was formed 60 years ago to provide Industrial Moving and Storage services, later diversifying into self storage.
The Bath centre will be the nineth in a portfolio that includes six in London and one each in Bristol and Manchester.
The firm said its Bath unit, which will have 45,000 sq ft of lettable storage space across four floors, would reflect its “unwavering commitment to identifying and acquiring prime locations that cater to the evolving storage needs of the local community”.
Vanguard managing director Will McCullagh, a member of the founding family, said: “We are excited to bring our high-quality self-storage services to the heart of Bath.
“Our new facility not only provides convenient and secure storage solutions, but also showcases our dedication to sustainable design and environmental responsibility.”
The centre, whose reception area will feature a restored De Haviland Vampire aircraft in common with other Vanguard unis, will have sustainability at its heart, with the building targeting operational net zero status.
Key features will include a 75kWp roof solar array, electric vehicle charging bays and a stream landscape feature that re-naturalises the existing waterway running across the site as well as landscaping with 50 trees that will contribute to the promotion of natural habitats.
Designed by Bath architects Designscape, the building will aim to blend seamlessly with the city’s heritage by using a combination of Bath stone, glazing and bronze cladding.
Regency Laundry, which had provided fresh linen to some of the area’s top hotels for more than 140 years from the site, relocated to Corsham in 2021.
