Upper Borough Court, 2A Upper Borough Walls, City Centre

2A Upper Borough Walls forms part of a Grade II early 19th century terraced houses, now with commercial premises on the ground floor, situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site. The current arched entrance on the ground floor on Upper Borough Walls post-dates 1973, replacing an earlier shopfront, and can likely be attributed to works to the ground floor in 1983.

Therefore, whilst we feel that it is a shame to obscure the Bath stone return of the arch with aluminium panelling, we acknowledge this is of limited harm to historic fabric. We do note that the existing adjacent entrance to Northgate House is referred to as a design example; the aluminium cladding has consequently been adapted to incorporate logos and signage. We do not feel that this design approach would be appropriate for a listed building and emphasise the current benefits of retaining a clean, minimal appearance without cluttering additions.

BPT resists the principle of illuminated signage. Part of the character of Bath is its low levels of artificial lighting which complement the historic character and appearance of the city, and create a distinctive evening and night-time atmosphere. Therefore, the use of illumination would be of detriment to the shared character of the Bath conservation area and the special qualities of the World Heritage Site, particularly considering the arch’s location within the commercial, historic core of the Georgian city.

This application is therefore contrary to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 16 of the NPPF, and Policies B1, BD1, D1, D2, D8, and HE1 of the Core Strategy and Placemaking Plan. We strongly recommend that the illumination aspect of this scheme is omitted.