Hopes high that end of eyesore is in sight

Entrepreneurs are bidding to take over a rundown site in Bathdescribed as one of the city's "most shameful eyesores."

Property agents are now marketing a former petrol station at theback of the Royal Crescent as a temporary car wash site.

Two would-be operators have already expressed serious interest inwhat would be a stop-gap enterprise while talks continue withcouncil planners over the long-term future of the land.

Agent Carter Jonas is in charge of letting the Crescent Lane siteas a car hand-washing and valeting centre, with planning permissionfor 15 months granted by Bath and North East Somerset Council lastmonth.

Partner Philip Marshall said owner Guy Parr, who lives in thecrescent, was keen to improve the look of the derelict site, whichis on the route used by open-top bus tours of the city's heritagegems.

"The owner is conscious that it is an eyesore and has been forsome years," he said. "We have already got two offers for it - therehas been good interest. I am quite hopeful that we will get someonein quickly."

Mr Parr is still waiting for a final decision on his long-termplans to demolish the filling station and build nine apartments andan internet cafe.

Those proposals have been welcomed by the Bath Heritage Watchdog(BHW) and Bath Preservation Trust pressure groups.

BHW said in its comments on the planning application to B&NES:"The rundown garage facilities have for long been one of Bath's mostshameful eyesores on a prominent corner location and forming part ofwhat is in effect the back garden of one of Bath's most prestigiousGeorgian buildings - the world-renowned Royal Crescent.

"The location is on the open-top bus city tours and one can justimagine the reaction of the tourists having just been told about theglories of Bath to turn a corner and be presented with this and (asthey would have been told) in a World Heritage Site."

The trust said: "The trust welcomes proposals to redevelop thegarage site, which is an eyesore and detracts from the character ofthis historically and architecturally significant location."

The site has also been used as a shop and a car repair garage inthe past.

The car wash planning application envisaged six to seven staffbeing involved, using a mobile jet washer and a vacuum cleaner, with30 to 40 cars a day being cleaned between 8.30am and 6pm, Monday toSaturday.

Unsightly security fencing would be removed and the siteredecorated.