Garricks Head, 8 St John’s Place, Bath

The Trust objects to this application on the basis of the excessive amount of tables and chairs and the fact that they will clutter and intrude upon the setting of an important listed building. Whilst we have no objection to the use of the pavement adjacent to the pub, the use of the corner spot intrudes on the front elevation of the Theatre Royal and harms the special architectural interest of the listed building. We acknowledge that Saw Close is going to be a dining and entertainment ‘quarter’ with a considerable amount of outdoor furniture but we do believe a line must be drawn somewhere to stop the area from becoming too cluttered to the detriment of the historic townscape. We would recommend the tables and chairs by the corner of the theatre should be removed from the application.

The proposed scheme by virtue of its amount and siting would be harmful to the setting of significant designated heritage assets, would neither preserve nor enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area, would be detrimental to the visual amenity of the street scene and would detract from the special qualities of the WHS. The scheme would be contrary to Section 12 (Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment) of the NPPF, policies B1, B2, B4, and CP6 of the B&NES Core Strategy, policies D.2, HE1, D.9, B.4, B.2 of the Placemaking Plan. We would therefore recommend the application be amended or refused.