2 Kingsmead Street, City Centre
2 Kingsmead Street forms part of the original structure of Rosewell House, a Grade I Georgian dwelling, now café and retail unit, situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage site.
BPT appreciates that this application is solely for the change of use of 2 Kingsmead Street from A1 to A3 usage. Whilst the principle of this change of use is acceptable, the Trust would additionally emphasise the importance of the consideration of material changes that will result from this change of use that should be incorporated into the overall application to enable a full assessment of the proposed harm to historic fabric. Therefore, the suitability of a change of use, and its associated impact cannot be assessed without the provision of additional contextual information.
We feel that the potential for external alterations, such as the insertion of ventilation ducts and flues, has not been adequately explored in relation to the change in appearance to a listed building, and the potential loss of historic fabric. The Trust would therefore recommend that any necessary material changes associated with conversion to A3 usage are compounded into a Design & Access Statement for the consideration of the LPA. The inclusion of a Heritage Statement that explores the application’s effect on the appearance of a listed building and its contextual setting within the Bath conservation area would also be beneficial.