Metal stairs and walkways to the rear of the Jolly’s House of Fraser store in Bath are considered to be a Health & Safety risk and there are plans to remove them.
The Jolly’s store on Milsom Street
It follows “significant” problems inside the Grade II listed Milsom Street store which came to light in separate planning applications earlier this year.
At the time, Bath & North East Somerset Council, as the property’s landlord, gave an assurance that safety measures were in place following issues last year of water pouring in and broken planes of glass falling into the trading area.
The council recently secured permission to carry out repair and alteration work to a total of five skylights.
The latest issue involves the metal stairs and platforms attached to the part of the store from 9 to 14 Milsom Street.
A report compiled by architects on behalf of the council says there is no record of when they were built, but they are present on drawings from 1960, so it is assumed they date from the post-war period.
The report says: “These metal structures on the rear of Milsom Street are considered to be a Health & Safety risk in their current condition, with signs of corrosion to the metal supports and fixings, as well as the walkways themselves.
“The metal attachments have been present for several years but there is no record of structural or other regular testing for safety being carried out.
“Apartment residents currently have unauthorised access to the roof of the Jolly’s House of Fraser store via these stairs (the roof contains historic and fragile roof glazing and coverings) therefore it has security and safety considerations for both residents and the store tenant.
“The current metal structures and fixing supports make maintenance of adjacent roofs and rainwater goods impossible in certain instances.
“The corrosion of the metalwork is staining and damaging the adjacent Bath stone fabric.”
Some stone repairs will be required.
The report says the plans do not include the removal of external stairs/walkways outside the retail areas.
The planning reference is 24/03054/REG13 and the deadline for any comments on the proposals is 13th September.
