CPRE weighs in to stop demolition of historic Bath cottage

CPRE Avon and Somerset has lodged a powerful objection to plans to demolish historic “Waterworks Cottage” at Charlcombe on the outskirts of Bath and build three modern houses, creating a suburban setting in what is currently a rural environment.

Robert Davies Chair of CPRE Avon and Somerset’s B&NES’ District Branch said:

“This application must be turned down. We have all discovered, during pandemic restrictions, the restorative value of being able to get into countryside nearby. The Waterside Cottage site provides exactly that sort of opportunity and B&NES Councillors should therefore be determined to protect it. The cottage should be renovated and used as a lovely period family home. It is in a quintessentially rural location and the site provides access to nearby countryside, just on the outskirts of the City, bringing benefits locally and to the wider Bath community.

“We also believe that Waterworks Cottage almost certainly has significant historical importance linked, as its name suggests, to the old waterworks nearby. It is a well-constructed building with some quality architectural features and merits protection on those grounds.”

David Worskett, Chair of CPRE Avonside adds that the location is immediately adjacent to the boundary of the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty and therefore needs protection, for which there are firm precedents. He goes on to point out that it the cottage and site form part of the setting and context of the Bath World Heritage site itself and the need to protect that has long been recognised in planning policies and practice.