Planning and Development

Contact: Racheal Hushon (Chair) | Email

Planning and Development (archive)

The Association Committee keep an eye on any planning applications for development in the area, and endeavour to assist members of the Association over any problems they may have with neighbourhood planning applications.

It would be helpful if, when making any planning applications to your property, you could advise the Committee so that they are forewarned.

Please contact:
Racheal Hushon (Chair) | Email

12 Lansdown Place East (19/04051/LBA) (10 October 2019)
A comment (click here to view) has now been submitted to the Planning Authority by the LCA, who invite you to make your own comments, or to write supporting this one. The deadline is 10th October. The Council weblink is https://isharemaps.bathnes.gov.uk/data.aspx?requesttype=parsetemplate&template=DevelopmentControlSearchSimple.tmplt where you should insert the reference 19/04051/LBA.

7&8 Lansdown Crescent (18/01862/FUL and 18/01863/LBA) (13 June 2018)
Following the death of Karl Jaeger, owner of 7/8 Lansdown Crescent, a lengthy period ensued before a buyer emerged.  The property has a complex history: the two houses were merged into one in Edwardian times, and subsequently became a nursing home.  This conversion involved: removal of the staircase in No.8 to provide space for a lift and bathrooms, one above the other; and the knocking through of doorways to link the two houses into one. This arrangement has remained until now, but the new owner, Mr Ian Taylor, has submitted planning proposals to return the property back into two houses (which has the full support of the Council Planners, the Bath Preservation Trust and the Association). This will involve a new (wooden) staircase to No.8, and complete restoration of both houses.  No.8 will then be sold to fund the considerable cost of this conversion.

Other proposals involve an Orangery, alterations to the coach house of No.7, and felling of trees in the combined garden. Following opposition to the latter, revised plans have been submitted, and it now seems likely that the trees will remain. Overall, the Association's view is one of pleasure (and relief) that a buyer has been found, that the property is being returned (largely) to its original design and that both houses will be fully restored. Mr Taylor has involved the Association and residents in neighbouring Upper Lansdown Mews in his decision making, which is much appreciated.

11 Lansdown Place East: reinstatement of internal wall (29 April 2018)
The following Planning Application has been posted – for the reinstatement of the wall dividing the ground floor rooms in 11 Lansdown Place East, something the Association has supported for months.

Application Link: 11 Lansdown Place East, Lansdown, Bath, Bath And North East Somerset, BA1 5ET
Internal alterations including reinstatement of timber stud wall
Application reference: 18/01495/LBA received on 04/04/2018
Planning Portal reference: PP-06869237
Application status: Pending Consideration
Posted by Robin Kerr - 29 Apr 18

11 Lansdown Place East: link to Appeal status (added 31 January 2018)
Click here for latest Appeal status.

11 Lansdown Place East: Update 4 December 2017 (5 December 2017)
The owner has appealed the rejection of her retrospective planning application to legalise her removal of the ground floor partition. Please click here for more details. The closing date for comments is 1 January 2018.
James Whatmore (Planning Adviser) | Email

14 Lansdown Place East, planning application consultation expiring 12 October 2017 (13 October 2017)
An application (17/04352/LBA) has been lodged requesting permission to install Georgian style double doors between the two ground floor rooms.
Comments may be submitted via the above link (expiry date for consultation is 12 October).
James Whatmore (Planning Adviser) | Email

11 Lansdown Place East: Update 6 October 2017 (7 October 2017)
A new application (17/04256/LBA) has been submitted seeking to regularise the unauthorised knocking through of the wall between the two ground floor rooms. We understand from B&NES that they intend to refuse this.

11 Lansdown Place East, planning application consultation expiring 3 November 2016 (30 September 2016)
11 Lansdown Place East has been sold, and will be refurbished on behalf of the buyer by Lydia Fay (a developer, reputedly of the highest quality, who has already done a couple of houses in Somerset Place). Listed Building Consent has been sought to carry out extensive works (Ref. 16/04836/LBA). LCA Committee member, James Whatmore, who knows the house well, has studied the application and considers it to be acceptable. Expiry date for comment is 3 November 2016.

Hope House Development (archive)

Hope House Newsletter Sept 19 (11 September 2019)
Click here to view

Hope House Newsletter Nov 18 (4 December 2018)
Click here to view

Hope House - 18/03069/FUL – Update on Block D Balanced Flues and Windows on Blocks E&F: (23 July 2018)
B&NES has now required Acorn to reapply (Ref. 18/03069/FUL) for approval of their revised balanced flue proposals on the roofs of Block D; and double glazing on the street sides of Blocks E&F.  This offers the opportunity to comment, until 14th August, which was not possible when they were treated as "Non Material Amendments".  The Association has already studied these proposals and finds them acceptable, but individual members may wish to comment.

Balanced Flues on Roof of Hope House Block D: Update 25 June 18 (28 June 2018)
Having removed the vertical pipes, the Acorn's architects (Nash Partnership) had to find a practical and safe alternative for the balanced flue. The proposal brings it horizontally out of the lower angle of the north mansard roof, but above the rear parapet of each house. In this way, the flue is able to be much more discreet than before, but still well below the Lansdown Place East wall, so the exhaust plume should dissipate before becoming visible. This has required some compromises and extra expense inside the roof spaces and rooms; but is a better solution than through either the dummy chimneys or the south-facing roof. For more details visit the Council's Planning website and key in 18/02570/NMA.  
To view the plans, click here

Balanced flue on the roof of Hope House Block D (23 April 2018)
The balanced flue on the roof of Hope House Block D beside Lansdown Place East is the first of four. The Association has discussed this with the Hope House builders (Rhatigans) and has alerted the Bath Preservation Trust and the Local Planning Authority; as these are ugly, are prominent, will have obvious steam plumes venting from them on cold days and are thought to be in contravention of the Planning approval.

Dummy chimneys on the roof of Hope House Block D, 7 March 2018
Four dummy chimneys were installed on the roof of Hope House Block D on 5th March (see photos). The framework is made of glass reinforced plastic (GRP), with 40mm Bath stone veneers stuck to the outside. The visible, lower part of the GRP will be dressed with lead in the usual way.  They have no purpose, but should be indistinguishable from the real thing except when viewed from above.

Latest Hope House newsletter, 3 February 2018
Click here to view

Construction traffic: Hope House site, 25 January 2018
We have had several incidents during January of Hope House construction traffic attempting to use the Crescent. This included use as a cut through, a turning circle or a holding bay whilst waiting to get onto site. Recently one lorry attempted to reverse blindly from Lansdown Place East into Lansdown Road without a banksman.
We have an agreement with Acorn as part of their Construction Management Plan that any of their construction vehicles will not use the Crescent. Nick Bishop has contacted Acorn to seek their assurance that this will not happen again.
If you do observe any breaches of this agreement please take the vehicle details and email them to Nick (ideally if you could take a photo that would help). This enables us to provide evidence to Acorn.
Nick Bishop (Traffic) | Email

Letter on 'tawdry history of Hope House development' published in the Chronicle, 15 January 2018
Anthony Pearson, until recently the LCA's Planning Adviser, has had a letter published in the Chronicle concerning the history both of the Hope House development and of the Bath ex-MoD site developments at Ensleigh and on the Warminster Road.

Development of the Former Royal High Junior School Site (Hope House) (11 January 2018)
The Committee have been in close communication with the developer, Square Bay Developments (now Acorn Property). There will be a total of 57 units of housing, with Hope House being converted into flats. Upper access will be through the existing entrance at the top of the Shrubbery, and there will be a single carriageway road at the bottom of the site from Park Street Mews. All car parking will be on the site. The green land is to be protected.
Click here for the latest Planning Applications relevant to Hope House.

Hope House Affordable Housing: Chronicle Article, 21 December 2017 (updated 2 January)
Residents will be pleased to note that the Chronicle has finally taken notice of this issue in an article entitled "Luxury Bath estate permitted without affordable homes after developer 'proved' they were not viable" and quoting the LCA Chairman.

Update 2 January
A shortened version of the article mentioned above will be found on p.10 of the 28 December printed edition of the Chronicle; the Letters page (p.20) includes some of the Chairman's words as the ‘quote of the week’: “It seems all wrong to us. We feel affordable housing is one of the big issues for Bath”.
For more information, contact:
Robin Kerr (Chairman) | Email

Parking on the Hope House Estate, 13 May 2017
Members will have heard rumours of inadequate parking provision on the Upper Hope House site (ie fewer than one parking space per dwelling) as this would be likely to lead to efforts by future residents to park on surrounding streets (for example in Lansdown Place East), notwithstanding statements from the Council that applications for Zone 11 permits would be refused. Accordingly, the Association recently approached the developer (Acorn) to ask if they wished to seek additional parking provision by variation of the planning permission, and, if so, would our support be helpful? Their answer was that, (a) following some rearrangement, the shortfall is now quite low, and (b) although the Local Planning Authority would be open to some expansion of the parking provision, no space can be found on site.
Robin Kerr (Chairman) | Email

Hope House Site Redevelopment: Lansdown Grove Presentation Follow-up, 23 February 2017
Lee Jones (JJ Rhatigan, upper site developers) writes:
"First let me thank you for all your time on Thursday last week. It was great to meet you all and try and understand your concerns with the development.
"We have set up a OneDrive file share location where you can download or view the presentation and the video walk through you saw on the day.
"I have also as promised uploaded the planting and tree schedule for the development so you can see the level of planting and the sizes and species. Our plan is to have an update weekly on ongoing works on site and a monthly newsletter that will be sent to all of you. We would also like to have an open house every 3 months for you all to come down and meet face to face with myself and the team. I think the first one will be in May and as the weather should be on the turn we will try and have a BBQ meet and greet for everyone.
"Once again thank you for your time and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in contact with me."

Hope House Affordable Housing - 27 November 2016 update
The LCA now understands that B&NES has permitted Acorn to proceed without constructing any affordable housing, but that they have the right, dependent on Acorn's profits, to claw back funds to be applied to such housing elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Delia Jay (most recent past LCA Secretary) has had a letter published in the Chronicle on this subject.

Hope House Hoarding Advertising, update 1 November 2016
Residents can see the final advertising which has been granted approval at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/planningdocuments=16/04457/AR, where they will see that what is permitted is greatly reduced from the original application, with none at the junction of Lansdown Road and Lansdown Place East, and no large, distracting pictures. The comments of the Council’s Traffic Officer are particularly appropriate.

Proposal for Sales Advertising on Hoardings, September 2016
Acorn has applied to B&NES for permission to cover the Hope House hoardings with sales advertising (see Fig 5 particularly). This is classed as "temporary", but would in fact be there for about 2 years. We have the chance to object until 6th October. Click here to view existing comments and to submit your own.
Please see also our latest Pavement Closure update, given that the proposed advertising will clearly distract drivers.