Ensleigh Cottage, Granville Road, Lansdown

Ensleigh Cottage is a late 19th century dwelling, now a garage, situated within the contemporary Ensleigh housing development in the Bath World Heritage site. Whilst we appreciate that Ensleigh Cottage does not come under the curtilage listing of Ensleigh House, a Grade II Victorian detached house, we maintain that the boundary wall positively contributes to the setting of a listed building and the wider streetscape due to the broadly contemporary presence of the cottage and the adjoining wall to Ensleigh House, and their shared use of a natural vernacular palette.

Following consideration of this scheme, we recognise that this is the same scheme as submitted previously (see application 19/05111/FUL). We would therefore maintain our previous objection on grounds of aesthetic harm to the setting of a listed building and detriment to the local streetscape character of Granville Road.

The Trust feels that insufficient justification has been provided for the removal of another portion of the existing wall. The unsuitability of the existing garage entrance has not been clearly communicated. Therefore, we are inclined to object to this application due to the associated visual detriment to the setting of a listed building.

Whilst BPT appreciates that portion of this wall proposed to be removed was built in 1995, and therefore does not constitute a loss of historic fabric, we feel that its reconstruction has positively contributed to the contextual setting of Ensleigh House whilst remaining an attractive and rural feature within the development’s streetscape. Despite not falling within Ensleigh House’s curtilage listing, we maintain that the stone boundary wall has retained a beneficial visual connection between Ensleigh House and Ensleigh Cottage, and the singular shared entrance helps to present the two buildings within a still-visible boundary of their original footprint. Therefore, we feel that the loss of a portion of the wall would ultimately result in the aesthetic separation of these buildings despite their strong historic and evidential association with one another.

The Trust maintains that the removal of part of the boundary wall would be of detriment to the local setting of a listed building, and the surviving rural character of Granville Road with little practical justification or public benefit, and is therefore contrary to section 16 of the NPPF, and Policies B1, BD1, CP6, D1, D2, D3, D4, and HE1 of the Core Strategy and Placemaking Plan and should be refused or withdrawn.