142 London Road West, Lower Swainswick, Bath

142 London Road West is an unlisted mid-19th century detached dwelling situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site. Its north elevation forms part of the vernacular rubble stone boundary wall along London Road West, with the principal south elevation facing out over the valley towards Bathampton Down and the Green Belt and AONB. It retains attractive, period detailing, such as its two storey bay window and a decorative flat hood on brackets over the central doorway. The 2005 addition of a two storey gable ended extension has already had a notable effect on the appearance, character, and layout of the building.

A single storey extension to the south elevation was previously refused in 2005 (see 05/00545/FUL), although the documents are not available on the planning portal to determine the nature of works. However, as part of the 2005 permit for the two storey extension (see 05/03605/FUL), the Delegated Report notes that “the now proposed two storey extension leaves uninterrupted the existing bay window on the left of the building and will preserve the overall appearance and character of the building and this part of the conservation area”.

We therefore have some concerns regarding the proposed loss of historic detailing on an attractive 19th century building. The proposed ground floor extension would bisect the bay window running up the left side of the building and would completely remove the ground floor portion of the bay window. The proposed floor plans show that the original doorway would be blocked up; there is no information regarding whether the flat stone hood would be retained internally or removed. The D&A Statement fails to consider or assess the proposed loss of period detail and resulting change to the appearance and character of the building. We highlight the previous emphasis on retaining the bay window ‘interrupted’ and maintain that this remains a significant aspect of the building which should be retained, and feel that the cumulative loss of original detailing would be of detriment to the appearance and character of the building and the conservation area.