High Street, Cheltenham

Contemporary design within the conservation area

Planning permissions have been granted on a prominent town centre site within a conservation area for retail and residential uses. Strides were appointed to reconfigure a large vacant retail/office unit in response to several prospective retailer occupier interests whilst at the same time seeking to optimise the site’s value with additional residential units.

Strides were initially instructed to work within the confines of extant planning permissions on the site, however, after a detailed architectural/planning analysis of these extant permissions the approved schemes were, at best, unworkable for retail/residential use and at worst unimplementable due to these permissions not wholly within ownership of the client.

Although attracting interest in the local press and with heritage groups, Strides were successful in planning permissions being granted for a contemporary design within the conservation area under officer’s delegated powers, avoiding planning committee consideration.