drawings

Sunshine Garden Centre_Visioning Document

Forge Design Studio have developed a vision for the future development of the Sunshine Garden Centre which is situated nr Alexandra Palace, North London.

Located on the site of a former open-air lido the Garden Centre is a very successful business which has long out-grown its premises. Significant aspects of the retail operation have moved on line yet the stock remains on site and takes up a great deal of valuable space.

The nature of the business means that there is also substantial footfall who still visit the site. Balancing these sometimes conflicting demands as well as dealing with deliveries presents great challenges to the management team. In addition the building fabric is in poor condition and is also in urgent need of renewal.

The site is well located on a main route and sits alongside a popular local park. Opportunity exists to engage with the local community and to make a much more positive contribution to the neighbourhood. The site is famous locally for its Christmas displays and is fantastically busy.

A comprehensive masterplan was required to fully explore the relationships and inter-connectivity with the existing facilities, the neighbouring park, car parking/deliveries and access and the proposed new residential uses which will help the viability of the whole development.

The Practice were responsible for developing the initial designs through 3d massing models and visualisations. Inter-connections for pedestrians/community uses and customers were considered in detail and the whole site was opened up and made more accessible.

Valuable shopfront and much more kerbside appeal was created to the main road which will appeal to the many notable brands for which the Garden Centre holds the franchise.

These exciting proposals represents the continued investment and commitment by the Management team to the long term future of the operation. We are looking forward to maintaining our involvement as the project moves forward.

Rose & Crown, Aston – Permission Granted!!

It’s a Marathon not a Sprint!!

Forge Design Studio are delighted to confirm that May 2021 sees the conclusion of one of our longest running planning sagas.

Located in the rural village of Aston to the east of Stevenage, The Rose and Crown, and associated Barn, is a Listed Building which had been left vacant for over 12 months until our clients, purchased the site in 2016. Prior to this the pub had a chequered history having struggled in a really difficult trading environment with 11 different landlords in the previous 10 years.

We were appointed towards the end of 2016 to develop a design and planning strategy to utilise the site for housing whilst maintaining a fully functioning micro-pub. After a lengthy gestation period we submitted an application in July 2017 and proceeded to engage with the Local Authority Planning Officers culminating in an Officer Recommendation for Approval.

The project was taken to Planning Committee at East Herts District Council in March 2018 and was refused based on the strength of objections from local lobbyists.

It should be noted that the scheme is entirely Policy compliant and there is no argument about the principle of the re-use of the site. The chief protagonists set out an alternative vision which appeared to ignore the trading history and viability of the business bearing in mind there is another pub in the village.

There then followed a series of applications, refusals, withdrawals and appeals culminating in the final, mid-pandemic, application in July 2020. It was decided to omit the pub from the application on the basis that the market would find its true value and that the Local Community would sustain its re-birth!

So, after 5 years of effort we have permission for a modest new build scheme consisting of 4 residential units on a highly sustainable location on a vacant site in the centre of a village and a still vacant pub.

Given the uncertainties we all face in the aftermath of the Pandemic, if this timescale through the Planning process is the best that can be done, it’s going to be a long road to recovery.

Student Mentoring & Site Visit to 227 Winchester Road!

For the second year in a row we are hosting students from Bath University and UWE as part of the innovative RIBA Student Mentoring scheme organised by the team at RIBA South West Forge Design Studio. Following two office based sessions we visited site this week at 227 Winchester Road.

Having recently received planning permission for the comprehensive re-design and re-building of the original house, our client has made a meaningful start on site. The demolition of a substantial part of the original house has been completed and the reduced dig is underway in preparation for the piling rig.

Proposed Ground Floor Plan

Proposed First Floor Plan

The new design will create approx. 5,000sqft of accommodation, providing 6 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms and a large multi-function kitchen/dining/lounge area in a split level arrangement which takes advantage of the subtle change in level on the site.

The house follows an inter-locking, cranked plan which wraps around the generous garden with excellent orientation to capture the evening sun. The house will be served by an air source heat pump, underfloor heating and solar pv arrays on the roof.

We are excited to see the proposals for this innovative, contemporary design emerge from the excavations, stand by for a major transformation in 2020!!

Keeping Busy!!

We have been particularly busy over the last few weeks, completing and submitting three significant planning applications.

Manor Farm, Andover

Front Cover

Firstly, working with Adrian Barker at Lucid Planning we completed the design proposals for the redevelopment of Manor Farm, nr Andover. We have been employed directly by the site owners on the development of the former farm building site for residential use.

Situated in open countryside between the villages of Monxton and Abbotts Ann this has been a long process which required some innovative thinking to resolve the strategic planning issues. This has also involved extensive negotiation with the Planning Authority at Test Valley and local residents pressure groups. It has been a lengthy project extending over the last 18 months and the application is now heading towards a committee date in the middle of June. Fingers crossed.

The design has been developed in close co-operation with the landscape architect and has played particular regard to the setting and context with the open countryside. The original farmyard buildings have been retained to create a sense of continuity and the shared open space will act as a landscape buffer as well as creating opportunities for allotments and community facilities

201716_PL009

North Brook End House, Steeple Morden

Secondly, by contrast, we have submitted a Full Planning and Listed Building Consent Application for North Brook End House, Steeple Morden. The site overlooks our long-standing project at the neighbouring Stud Farm and is for a private client.

201825_PL011

The work has involved detailed design proposals to reflect the need to respect the historic fabric. We have also involved Cambridge Architectural Research (CAR Ltd) who have prepared the accompanying Heritage Statement.

The proposals are for a two-storey rear extension, which has been carefully integrated with the existing building, as well as internal alterations to create a new en-suite facility. These elements required a great deal of detailed work to ensure they could be satisfactorily implemented without disturbing the existing building fabric.

South Street, Bishops Stortford

SOUTH STREET_SCENE1_V2

Finally, we have completed the design work on our town centre project in Bishops Stortford. Our client has purchased a former Co-operative Buildingon the corner of South Street and Station Road, which has, frankly, seen better days!!

The existing floors have been re-modelled to suit flexible future uses with an additional floor of residential apartments being added at second floor level. New external treatment to the elevations is proposed in response to the setting of the Conservation Area.

201902_PL011

Detailed massing models have been prepared utilising a 3D base model prepared by Joanna James Ltd. We have inserted our site sketch-up model into the wider context so that the impact can be fully considered.

201902_PL018

SOUTH STREET_SCENE4_V3.jpg

Sancerre Barn – Permission Granted – First one of the New Year!!

Forge Design Studio is delighted to confirm that one of the first e-mails received on our return to work in 2019 was confirmation that approval had been granted for the re-modelling and refurbishment of the Barn Conversion at Cold Harbour Farm.

Located in the rural village of Ashwell the commission came from a recommendation from Sarah and Douglas at North Brook End Stud. Always nice to be introduced by an existing client!

The owners had bought the Barn in the knowledge that a substantial amount of work might be needed to turn it into their dream home. We have worked closely with them to create a completely new plan arrangement which will create the type of free-flowing, welcoming contemporary space that they were seeking.

The re-organisation of the existing bedrooms and removal of a long dark corridor together with the new rear extension will substantially improve the arrangement of public living and private spaces. We’ve also opened-up the relationship to the outside garden spaces, both front and back.

We look forward to developing the working drawings and assisting our clients in the procurement and construction of the scheme.

Pub Crawl in Hertfordshire

Work is being completed on the Planning Applications for our two Pub projects in rural Hertfordshire.

Hand drawn sketches are proving to be the order of the day as we aim to portray the importance of context when considering the future of these important community facilities. Both projects involve work to Grade II Listed buildings which will seek to ensure that the viability and sustainability of the businesses are secured for the immediate future.

Mike has even had to get a new pencil sharpener as he ‘draws’ on some traditional techniques – not a cgi in sight!!

The residential content of the proposals will fulfil a real need for a variety of new housing stock within each village.

Both projects are due for submission in the next few weeks.