Renovating older buildings that served a different purpose into something luxurious and practical is a dream job for the team at Cheadle Architects. One opportunity was provided in the town of Bollington in Cheshire.
The building was located within a conservation area, meaning that any alterations to the facade had to keep in line with the original materials of the building for over 200 years – including stone walls and roofing. That stretched to retaining the timber and timber windows of the building. The building was initially built as three separate houses and had its walls knocked through for an extension built in the 1990s to transform it into one complete office space building.
The task was keeping in line with the regulations of a conservation area whilst planning how many apartments could fill the space, meeting the current housing space standards. Our team identified the potential for seven apartments with individual entrances off the road or to the side of the building, giving the feeling of each apartment resembling its own little house.
Planning
The big challenge for the 7th apartment would be that it would be in the lower level basement area, which necessitated additional planning for access to natural light. Our team managed to adapt the window sizes to give the sense that this apartment didn’t feel lower. We also provided the above apartments with vaulted ceilings to give a greater sense of height.
With the location in a beautiful setting, including a brook at the back of the property, we planned for some apartments to have their own outdoor space as well as a communal outdoor living and entertaining space, taking in the brook views whilst enjoying modern living in a traditional setting.
With the views of the main road being a nice touch, we also planned for each apartment to have its own parking space. A flood risk assessment was performed by a flood risk consultant due to the proximity of the neighbouring brook – as well as working with structural engineers, acoustic engineers and tree surveyors to address all concerns.
Work
The entire project was undertaken under permitted development, with the developers purchasing the property with the conversion in mind. This project was a great way for the developer to have the shell of a property and for the team at Cheadle Architects to come in and create the residential space, being a cost-effective practice for the developers in the planning process.
The project involved working alongside the Cheshire East council – along with a planning consultant as part of the team – providing material samples and detailed drawings of certain intersections and what would make the property retain its original materials. We chose to recreate the town’s existing two-up-two-down look for a hybrid living. We also had to work with Cheshire East to remove two parking spaces that covered the redline land that would allow access for residents.
The basement apartment required considerable planning as the space had a naturally low ceiling, which meant that we needed to dig deeper into the ground and underpin a new foundation to get adequate height for the window placements for natural light to access the rooms.
One apartment was provided with a Juliet balcony and a terraced area for views over the brook – which was a major selling point for the property. We converted some windows into doors to allow the apartments to have their entrances.
Drainage for the building had to be improved, with some drains and manholes needing to be rerouted and repositioned.
Finish
The project involved working to tight timescales, with the design stage taking 2-3 months exploring the various options of utilising and dividing up the existing space.
The resulting property successfully transformed into seven luxury 2-bedroom apartments, with 1 apartment on the lower ground floor incorporating an extra reception room. The property combines modern living expectations in a vintage area, with each apartment fully spacious and practical for today’s living requirements.
These Bollington apartments are a fantastic addition to the Cheadle Architect portfolio and an extensive showcase in office to residential conversions for any developer looking for similar projects.
