Heritage consultant Bath

Heritage consultants in Bath.

Listed building consent, heritage impact assessments and advice on renovating listed buildings across Bath and North East Somerset. Georgian terraces, Bath stone and the setting of the World Heritage Site.

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We respond within one working day leading to a no obligation outline approach.

Bath is a World Heritage Site, and its Georgian terraces are among the most closely protected buildings in England. We work across all of it.

The Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge sit alongside a great many smaller listed townhouses, mews and terraces built in pale Bath stone. Applications are judged against the character of the conservation area and the setting of the World Heritage Site, so detail matters. Our work ranges from internal alterations to listed Georgian flats through to larger schemes that affect the city’s skyline, and extends to Keynsham, the Somer valley and the Somerset and Wiltshire borders.

Heritage consultancy in Bath

What we do in Bath.

1.

Listed Building Consent

Bath and North East Somerset Council expects applications for Georgian listed buildings to show a real understanding of Bath stone, lime mortar, sash joinery and the plan form of the terraced house. We prepare listed building consent applications that deal with those details properly, so the conservation officer has what they need first time.

2.

Heritage Statements

Much of Bath sits within the conservation area and the World Heritage Site, so even modest proposals can need a Heritage Statement, now formally called a Heritage Impact Assessment following the NPPF update. We write to the point, addressing the NPPF, the local plan and the council’s guidance on the setting of the World Heritage Site.

3.

Georgian Terraces and World Heritage Setting

Proposals that affect the Royal Crescent, the Circus, Pulteney Bridge or the wider Georgian townscape need a proportionate assessment of significance and setting. We assess the building, its group value and the views affected, and set out mitigation in a format that satisfies both the council and Historic England.

4.

Conservation Management Plans

Hotels, churches, schools and the historic estates around Bath increasingly need Conservation Management Plans to guide repair and change over time. We produce clear, usable documents grounded in the actual significance of the building rather than generic templates.

5.

Solar for Listed Buildings

Bath sits in a bowl of steep hills, so its roofs are seen from the hillsides above as well as the streets below, and many Georgian terraces hide their roofs behind parapets. Solar panels on a listed building, or within its setting, usually need listed building consent and often planning permission. Within the World Heritage Site we look for rear slopes, valley roofs and outbuildings screened from public view, and set out the public benefit of the clean energy generated so the council can weigh it against any harm.

We hold an active caseload across Bath and North East Somerset and the surrounding area. If your area is not listed, we still work there.

That includes the Bath conservation area, Bathwick, Widcombe, Lansdown and Combe Down, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Bradford on Avon, Corsham, Frome and Wells, and the parts of the Cotswolds National Landscape to the north and east of the city. We also carry out historic building recording to CIFA standards across all of them.

Featured project nearby

A Grade II listed barn in Hampshire, objection withdrawn.

Project image: Kingsclere Business Park, Hampshire

Grade II·Hampshire·Heritage Statement

Kingsclere Business Park

A Grade II listed barn in Hampshire. Setting assessment overcoming a heritage objection.

Heritage Unlimited prepared a setting assessment for two industrial buildings proposed within the setting of a Grade II listed barn at Kingsclere Business Park. Historic mapping and photomontages showed that the existing permission would cause greater harm than the new scheme, and the conservation officer withdrew the objection.

Read the full project →

Browse South West and South projects by

Grade I Grade II* Grade II All LBC projects Residential Historic estates

More projects nearby

Heritage consultancy across the South and South Wales.

From Rudry in Caerphilly and Theale to Wokingham and Amersham, a selection of our recent work within reach of Bath.

Grade II · Wales

Church of St James

Heritage Assessment for a Grade II listed medieval church in Rudry, Wales.

Grade II · Theale

Nos. 40-48 High Street

Heritage Assessment for a range of properties on the High Street in Theale.

Grade II · Wokingham

St Crispins Secondary School

Level 3 Building Recording for a Grade II listed post-war school in Wokingham.

Grade II · Amersham

Larkins Green

Heritage Statement resolving a fabric dating dispute at a Grade II listed building.

Browse our work

Find projects like yours.

By grade

All Conservation area Grade I Grade II Grade II* NDHA / Locally listed

By sector

All Commercial Historic estates Public Residential

By service

Listed Building Consent Heritage Statements Conservation Management Plans Historic Building Recording

Other locations

Heritage consultancy across England.

Region

Cotswolds

Limestone villages, wool churches and listed country houses across the Cotswolds.

Town

Cheltenham

Regency terraces and spa town listed stock across Cheltenham and Gloucestershire.

City

London

Listed building consent and heritage advice across all 32 boroughs.

All areas

Every location

See every area where we hold an active heritage caseload.

Common questions

Bath heritage questions.

How quickly can you prepare a heritage impact assessment for a Bath application?

For a straightforward Georgian townhouse within the Bath conservation area, we can usually issue a heritage impact assessment in about a week to ten working days of receiving the brief. Larger schemes that touch the setting of the World Heritage Site take longer, and we confirm the programme when we provide the fee proposal.

Does Bath and North East Somerset Council offer pre-application advice for listed building works?

The council runs a pre-application advice service, and for changes to Grade I and Grade II* buildings, which includes much of Bath’s Georgian terracing, it is usually worth using. We can advise whether it is needed for your project and attend pre-application meetings if required.

How does World Heritage Site status affect a planning application in Bath?

World Heritage Site status is not a separate consent, but it is a material consideration, and the council has guidance on the setting of the site. Proposals in the city, or visible from the surrounding hills, need to show how they respect the Georgian townscape as well as any listed building or conservation area affected. We address both in a single assessment.

Do I need consent to clean, repoint or replace Bath stone on a listed building?

Cleaning the stone, repointing with a different mortar or replacing stone with another material usually needs listed building consent, even where the aim is simply to tidy the elevation. Like-for-like repairs often do not. Works without consent are a criminal offence, so we recommend confirming the position before anyone starts on site.

Do you work in the Cotswolds National Landscape around Bath?

Yes. Land to the north and east of the city falls within the Cotswolds National Landscape, which is not a planning authority, so applications still go to the council. National policy gives great weight to conserving the landscape, so we assess its setting alongside the listed buildings and conservation area in one report.

Do you provide a fee proposal before we commit?

Yes. Once we have the address and a short description of the proposed works, we provide an outline approach and a fee proposal, usually within one working day. There is no obligation to proceed.

Active caseload across Bath and North East Somerset

Tell us about your Bath project.

Send us the address and a brief description of the works. You will have a response within one working day.

Speak To Our Team Or call our team on 0330 0880 984

What to send

To get a fast outline approach, share:

The address and listing grade of the property
A description of the proposed works
Where you are in the planning process
Your role: owner, developer, architect, or public body