City Of Bath College, Avon Street, City Centre

This application concerns the Roper Building as part of the City of Bath College campus, a bold, contemporary building built in 2012 within the core of the Bath conservation area and World Heritage site. Whilst of an overtly modern appearance, the Trust maintains a “less is more” approach is beneficial throughout the conservation area in order to prevent the cumulative build-up of signage and advertisements both on buildings and within the public realm which will result in a cluttered, disordered appearance within Bath.

Therefore, the Trust would emphasise the importance of avoiding the over-provision of signage to the front of the Roper Building. One of the positive aesthetic features of the building is its minimal, uniform appearance, which we feel would be increasingly undercut by the addition of further signage to its elevations.

Furthermore, whilst the signage logo on the Macaulay Building has been incorporated into the renewed signage design on the Roper Building, following relevant feedback from the conservation officer, the Trust would emphasise the continued disparity between the signs with regards to variation in colour, and the lack of the “City Centre” tagline on the Macaulay Building. This has already resulted in a disharmonious clash in signage types which will only be further exacerbated by this application.

We would consequently recommend that the design and volume of signage is reconsidered, and potentially the existing signage on-site is drawn into the application to ensure a coordinated, uncluttered presence within the conservation area.