5 Raby Place, Bathwick

5 Raby Place forms part of a Grade II* late Georgian residential terrace within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage site. It additionally contributes to the contextual setting of 2, 3, 5, and 6 Raby Mews, a series of Grade II late Georgian mews buildings contemporary to Raby Place, in which their principal facades are orientated towards the rear of Raby Place. Therefore, the historic and architectural relationship between 5 Raby Place and 5 Raby Mews should be considered throughout this application.

Whilst we feel that the insertion of a wall would unfortunately cut off the aesthetic connection between the two Grade II dwellings, we acknowledge that Raby Mews’ garden-facing façade has already been significantly altered. We therefore do not oppose the sensitive insertion of a wall in matching materials.

However, we are disappointed in the retrospective nature of this application, with works having gone ahead without listed building consent. We do not condone any unconsented alterations or changes to the fabric of a listed building, regardless of the proposed level of harm.

Furthermore, the photographs provided of the completed structure do not appear to match the proposed elevations drawings, in which the new wall curves down to meet the lower, historic western wall. The application indicates that this modified design will be applied to the existing structure; we therefore feel that this would be a more suitable alteration to better align the proposed wall with the existing historic boundary walls to the rear of Raby Place.