Painting gives you the option to change the colour/look of your kitchen as often as you want. Tiling is a little more permanent, perhaps go for a tiled splashback if you like the look but don't want to commit to the whole room? Hope this helps :)

Thank you for the photos. You seem to have a nice selection of plants in pots along the fence. As there is a path along the wall, are you wanting to dig some of it up to plant some climbers? I don’t think there is enough room to grow any plants there otherwise. However as it’s a sunny spot there are many plants that will love that spot. With support (trellis, wires, obelisk) you could grow climbing roses, Clematis, honeysuckle, Jasmine or Pyracantha. If you decide to grow in pots, then get the biggest, deepest you can to give the plants as much as a help. They will grow better in the ground. Bamboo comes in many forms, some are tiny and some are higher than a house. Some like shade and some need sun. If you still have the label you can search on the RHS website for more info. It may just be a slow grower?

It looks like Anaglypta wallpaper that has been painted?

Walls are not insulated. Would assume I should make sure exterior vents are kept so moisture can escape from the cavity? There's been issues with walls sucking up groundwater, so to let that moisture escape somewhere. I'm going to have have to insert some damp proofing rods in several places. Cheers!