30 Fairfield Park Road, Fairfield Park, Bath

In response to the Climate Emergency, BPT welcomes the opportunity for the retrofit and thermal upgrade of existing housing stock where this would be sympathetic with the established local character and appearance of the area. Whilst the dwellings along Fairfield Park Road, including No. 30, are situated outside of the Bath City-Wide Conservation Area, they continue to contribute to the urban built context of Bath’s residential townscape, and any alterations are encouraged to respond to and reflect local character. No. 30 is situated within the boundary of the World Heritage Site.

We are strongly supportive of the opportunity to install internal insulation to the north-east and south-west external walls, where this would seek to address heat loss with no visible change to the building. We would encourage the officer to seek further details of the type of insulation selected (which has not been specified as part of the application) and how it would work with the naturally porous, ‘breathable’ qualities of Bath stone, with the intention of collating a case study that could help inform similar works across Bath’s late 19th and 20th century terraced and semi-detached housing stock.

The proposed PV array on the south-east roof slope would be largely screened from view by the roofline of the proposed side extension, and as such would have a very limited visual impact on local townscape character. Installation would facilitate benefits such as the generation of low-carbon energy (potentially for the use of the occupants where installing an accompanying battery/means of energy storage) and overall contributions towards the council’s net zero objectives. It is recommended that the panels in their design, colour, and finish should align with the specifications of local Policy SCR2; a frameless, matte black finish is preferable to minimise potential reflectivity and to blend in with the roof surfacing.

The proposed replacement of the existing uPVC windows with aluminium-framed windows is welcomed. Where it is proposed to implement a single pane window unit, the use of a sash-style unit would be preferable as this would be more visually in-keeping with the fenestration style of the area, but we recognise single pane window units have already been installed in neighbouring properties. It is unclear as to whether the proposed windows would be fixed, or openable casements; we recommend an openable window system to facilitate natural ventilation and passive cooling, and address the anticipated risk of overheating in light of increasing summer temperatures.