A reserved matters planning application (20/04965/ERES) has been submitted for the proposed Bath Quays North development on the site of the Avon Street car park. The application is for detail of the proposed appearance, materials, scale, and landscaping on the site. Bath Preservation Trust remains supportive of the intention to regenerate and repair this city centre site to create a mixed-use riverside quarter with significant public benefit, both economic and physical. In response to the design we have expressed concerns that some elevational treatments lack local distinctiveness, and the dominant horizontal emphasis across the site, particularly as viewed from the west. We have highlighted the need for precise details on the proposed use of materials such as brick and pre-cast concrete, considering the extensive use of concrete panels along the riverside at this stage. We are generally supportive of the active roofscape, with gardens and solar panels, and feel this is a more honest design than a ‘mock mansard’ profile. We continue to encourage the active use of internal streets, such as Back Street, and welcome public uses along this frontage. Given the site’s riverside location, we have emphasised the significance of well-integrated and flood-resistant landscaping and the greening of the river corridor.

You can read our full response to the application here.