3 – 4 Bath Street, City Centre

The Trust objects to this element of the application. Tables and chairs are not an acceptable addition to the front elevation of this highly significant listed building nor to its setting which includes the Baldwin colonnades of Ionic columns. These iconic colonnades should be left uncluttered and empty of furniture in order to ensure that their special architectural and artistic interest is preserved and can be appreciated as a group. Adding furniture to this area would create an undesirable precedent which could lead to cumulative harm to the heritage asset. It is also not acceptable to just have furniture in Bilbury Lane as this would also clutter the setting of the heritage asset (Baldwin’s Colonnades) and furniture could spill over into Bath Street over time and changes of management.

The proposed scheme would neither preserve nor enhance the special interest of the listed building and would fail to maintain or enhance the character of the conservation area. It would therefore detract from the special qualities of the WHS. The scheme would be contrary to the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, Section 16 (Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment) of the NPPF, policies B1, B4, and CP6 of the B&NES Core Strategy and policies CP6, D2, D5, HE1, D9, B.4, of the Placemaking Plan. We would therefore recommend the application be refused.