158 North Road, Combe Down, Bath

158 North Road forms part of a terraced group of Grade II mid-19th century dwellings at 158-162 North Road, situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site.

We are supportive of the removal of the current paint system on the internal walls to allow the historic stonework to ‘breathe’.

However, we have some concerns regarding the proposed installation of a cavity drain membrane system in the store room. From the proposed plans, it appears that the proposed damp-proofing layer would sit over the top of the retained pair of coal chutes and inappropriately cover up a significant historic feature with resulting harm to a listed building. We therefore strongly recommend that this aspect of the scheme is clarified.

We further recommend that the opportunity is taken to assess the damp levels in this space once the inappropriate paint system is removed and the stonework is allowed to dry out, to best assess what mitigation measures may be considered most appropriate.