R7 student accommodation on campus
The University has applied for planning permission to build student accommodation on our main Claverton Down campus, in a project called R7.
The proposed site is on the University’s main campus, at the eastern edge near the athletics track. This site was identified in our campus masterplan 2022 and has been embedded in the Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Local Plan.
The R7 proposal is really important, as it helps address local accommodation pressures and enables more of our students to live on our main campus.
As part of this proposal, we are currently seeking planning permission for around 926 new bed spaces. This uses all the remaining development capacity for student accommodation in our campus masterplan.
You can find further information about this project with the public consultation we undertook in 2025 and the proposed plans.
Sulis Club site, off campus
Separately, the University owns some land about one mile away from its main campus, often referred to as the Sulis Club site.
The University has not submitted a planning application for student accommodation on the Sulis Club site, nor do we have current plans to do so.
In terms of longer-term planning, like any responsible organisation, we always consider all the land we own and possible options for development in the future.
This approach is not new. In fact, for almost 10 years, the University has identified the Sulis Club site as a potential site for future development, including in our 2017/2018 Campus Masterplan that was subject to public consultation on campus and in the city. Therefore, in recurring calls for sites from the local authority, the University has identified Sulis as a potential site for development in the future. This is not a planning application.
Should the University develop plans in relation to the Sulis club in the future, it will follow all the usual statutory and public consultation processes required.
It is important that we do identify all available sites to ensure there is sufficient development capacity to maintain the sustainability of the University in the longer term. We are also mindful of the need to carefully consider housing pressures in other areas of the city of Bath.
As local residents may be aware, University clubs frequently use the pitches at the Sulis for sports activities. In fact, we are in the process of installing temporary toilets so that teams have better access to these facilities when training and playing on the site.
To reiterate, our priority is focussing on the student accommodation on our Claverton Down campus. We have no current plans to submit a planning application for developing the Sulis site for student accommodation.