Old Staines Town Hall, Staines, Surrey
The Old Town Hall Staines is a grade II listed Renaissance style building built in 1880 and used as a district council office until 1974. After the council moved out it was converted in to an art centre and later a bar/pub/restaurant, unfortunately none of these ventures were successful.
The general consensus was that if this building were to be maintained and kept in use it would have to be converted to residential use.
We knew that the first thing we had to do was to maintain the beautiful and ornate detail inside the building which was carried through from the outside so that the residents could enjoy it.
We managed this by creating double height spaces within the flats, by designing a double height reception room with a mezzanine for the bedrooms it ensures that from almost any part of the flat there is a view of the ceiling and full height windows.
Residential conversion and delivery
For the conversion of the property from its commercial use to residential use we had to show that the current use was no longer viable. This was justified through the marketing evidence from the estate agents and showing the lack of interest in the property in its current state.
Prior to making the planning and listed building consent application we undertook a pre application submission which included a site meeting with the case officer and the conservation officer. This process and meeting allowed us to explain the proposal and the sensitivity of the scheme in respect to the historic fabric and the detailed internal ornamentation of the building, in person.
By explaining this and agreeing the principle of the proposal we were able to proceed with a full planning application in the knowledge that the main principles had been agreed and therefore an increased chance of an approval, saving the client time and money in ensuring that the project can be completed faster.
We provided the client with marketing visuals and plans for the flats in advance of the completion allowing the estate agents to market the flats off plan – the flats were all rented within a month of completion
