Changes to ‘ugly’ garage block at Combe Down are given green light

Bath & North East Somerset Council has approved a scheme to improve an eyesore garage block in Combe Down which cars can’t use because the units are too narrow.

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The lock-up garages with a forecourt are at the rear of Union Chapel at Church Road. The site is in the Bath Conservation Area.

The planning application said the current flat-roofed block is “visually ugly” and in a poor state of repair.

The garages are said to be “functionally unusable” as, with an internal width of 2.4 metres, they don’t accommodate modern vehicles.

The application said the new layout will reduce the number of garages but increase their usability, resulting in an increase of four practical parking spaces and reducing on-street parking pressure in the area.

The widened garages will be spanned by a new pitched roof, providing improved headroom and drainage performance, with south-facing solar panels.

The proposals include demolishing garage 6 to provide one external parking space and improved access; combining garages 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 to form two wider garages suitable for modern cars; and retaining garage 5 with a new side access door to allow egress from a parked vehicle.

Garage doors will be replaced and walls re-rendered. There will also be repair and drainage improvements to the access drive where surface water issues affect neighbouring properties.

B&NES Council planners said the building’s proposed height increase is “modest” and the proposal will not harm the setting or significance of nearby listed buildings.

The scheme will also preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area.