Planning Permission Approved for New Fashion Museum Bath

Planning permission has officially been granted for the new Fashion Museum Bath, marking a major milestone in plans to transform the city’s former Old Post Office into a world-class cultural destination.

The new museum will become the permanent home of Fashion Museum Bath’s internationally renowned collection and will form a key part of the wider regeneration of the Milsom Quarter.

Bath & North East Somerset Council says the project will help secure the long-term future of one of the world’s leading fashion collections while creating a major new cultural attraction in the heart of the city.

The museum will be based inside the Grade II listed Old Post Office building on New Bond Street, alongside a new courtyard building and public garden.

Plans include restoring and adapting the historic building while introducing modern gallery, learning and public spaces designed to improve accessibility and visitor experience.

Once completed, the museum will offer more than double the floorspace of its former home at the Assembly Rooms, allowing significantly more of the 100,000-piece collection to go on display.

The development will also include wider public realm improvements, including a new public square, greener spaces and upgraded pedestrian areas around the museum site.

Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, described the approval as “a landmark moment for our city”.

“This project is about much more than a new museum: it is a transformative investment in Bath’s cultural future,” he said.

Award-winning architecture studio 6a architects has designed the new museum. The practice is known for projects including Tate Liverpool, MK Gallery and flagship buildings for fashion designers Paul Smith and JW Anderson.

The redesigned museum will feature exhibition galleries, learning spaces, events areas, a café, retail space and a landscaped public garden.

Fashion Museum Bath is expected to attract around 250,000 visitors a year and will play a major role in the wider Milsom Quarter regeneration project aimed at strengthening Bath’s creative and cultural economy.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has pledged £20 million towards the project, with additional support from the West of England Combined Authority, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Construction is expected to begin in winter 2027, with the museum aiming to open in late 2030.