PROJECTS

Phases 1 to 7 have now been completed as programmed. Our reconfiguration and refurbishment of this iconic building is nearing completion. It has attracted a wide range of Leisure and Retail Tenants to trade alongside Lloyds Bank. Rutland Cycling, Indigo Sun, Coral, Pepe’s Piri Piri, Caprino’s Pizza, Wonderful Nails, Elizabeth’s Coffee & Cakes, City Haircuts, MK Hair & Beauty, Schmidt Kitchens, F45 Gym, a Yoga Studio, an Escape Room and Slot Car Racing centre are all trading and the National Film and Sci-Fi Museum is located there too.

This transformation of the former 60,000 sq./ft. M&S at Broad Walk, Harlow provides 4 new Retail Units, 2 Restaurant Cafes, a Building Society and a 30,000 sq./ft. Gym to enhance the linkage between the Harvey Centre and Broad Walk. Our Planning Application was approved within 3 months. Speller Metcalfe commenced work immediately and F Hinds, Holland & Barrett, Starbucks, Peacocks and Xercise4less were all trading within 8 months of planning approval.

Planning and Listed Building Consent were granted by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for 26,000 sq./ft. of New Offices and a reconfigured 31,000 sq./ft. Retail Unit over 3 levels within this Grade II* Listed Building. The Basement, Ground & First Floor Unit of 31 000 sq./ft. was handed over to Japan House.

This construction comprises of a new multi-level shopping centre entrance on Ainsworth Street and the reconfiguration of existing mall and retail space to provide a new 16,000 sq./ft. PureGym and three shop units facing the bus station. The new entrance solves access problems, provides a modern and high-profile entrance and adds visual interest to an otherwise low key concrete-clad elevation. The elliptical glass form echoes the glass clock tower access constructed on the opposite side of the Centre during our substantial redevelopment. The Ainsworth Street Mall entrance builds on the strong form now associated with the Centre brand. The location rebalances and enhances footfall to the North of the Centre and is ideally located the bus station and the old market redevelopment site adjacent.

Our Mixed Use scheme, for CBRE Investors to create a 3,000 sq./ft., 2-story Pret-a-Manger and three, 2 Bedroom Apartments within the Epsom Town Centre Conservation Area.

We have repurposed the former DAKS Simpson Headquarters to provide a Retail Unit over Basement, Ground and First Floors, with Offices above at Second, Third & Fourth Floor levels.

Our long term transformation strategy for Sirosa’s prominent historic building developed from our successful acquisition of Planning Permissions in 2013 and 2015. for its comprehensive reconfiguration, extension and refurbishment. Following Arcadia’s implementation of the refurbishment of their Colegrave House Offices, we completed the 3 floor reconfiguration of the former Plaza/Bourne & Hollingsworth to create a flagship store of 73,000 sq./ft for Next to Oxford Street (which opened in September 2018), expanded 2nd Floor for The Gym and 6,000 sq./ft of Offices, 9,000 sq./ft Restaurant for Arros QD on Eastcastle Street (which opened in June 2019) and 15,000 sq./ft retail unit to Berners Street.

Our third completed project within Connaught Village transformed the Ground and Basement floors of this Grade II Listed Georgian terrace to provide a new Art Gallery for Dellasposa “ to create an immersive and contemplative experience for guests and visitors”.

Our Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent applications were approved by Westminster City Council for the reconfiguration, refurbishment, environmental upgrade, and provision of new external amenity spaces within this Grade II Listed Building to provide high quality workspace and residential accommodation in May 2024. Fado commenced construction in August 2024 and are programmed to complete the works in March 2025.

Master planning proposal for Bargate, Southampton which reconnects the City and provides an enhanced setting for its heritage assets including event spaces, Residential, Retail, Leisure/Hotel & Student Accommodation.

Planning approval has been granted by Trafford Council for the conversion of a vacant office building to create 60 new apartments at Clarendon House, Stamford New Road, Altrincham. Careful consideration was given to the design ensuring that the extended building and redesigned elevations responded to its surrounds, taking into consideration the Listed Buildings and Conservation Area in close proximity. Colman Architects’ design maximises the existing floor plate to meet demand for 1 and 2 bedroom flats at this important town centre transport hub. The design extends the main volume and adds two new floors to the top of the existing building. These will be predominantly glazed for maximum visual impact.

We have received 28 Planning Permissions/Listed Building Consents recently from Westminster Council for Connaught Village. The first was for a two story Retail unit and three bed town house within a Georgian Terrace at 12 & 3 Porchester Place. A two story Art Gallery at 5A Bathurst Street followed, together with two story Retail Units at 7, 8, 10 and 14, Porchester Place, 11, 12, 14, 17, 21, 24, 25, 27, 35, 39, 44 61 & 65 Connaught Street and 2 Bathurst Street (all within Georgian terraces). We also obtained Planning Permission for the conversion of a former N.C.P. to create a new 60,000 sq./ft. Safestore within the Water Gardens, the refurbishment of a prominent Restaurant at 17-20 Kendal Street and created a new, 4,000 sq./ft. health and fitness studio at Burwood Place.

Colman Architects was asked to investigate the possibilities to improve an area within Letchworth that was deemed to not positively contribute to the Town Centre. Our response sought to improve the critical mass of the retail by providing larger shops that will attract both national and international retailers. In addition, the proposals reinforced the historical leisure uses to the south of the site by creating a new Town Square with surrounding restaurants and cafes, adjacent to the Grade II listed Hall. The budget cost for this mixed use development was £60m and included 80,000 sq./ft. of retail space and 8,000 sq./ft. of leisure facilities. 365 underground car parking spaces would be provided for the 250 contemporary residential units made up of flats, maisonettes and penthouse apartments, surrounded by landscaped gardens. The project incorporate sustainable measures that would not only affect the design and construction processes but also the lifetime cost of running the building.

We obtained Planning Permission from the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead for this landmark 35,000 sq./ft. Category A Office building and Café on a very sensitive corner site on Maidenhead High Street.

Phase 3 - Colman Architects is continuing to work closely with the Borough of Spelthorne and clients Clerical Medical Investment Group in the successful transformation of the Elmsleigh Centre in Staines, Middlesex. Spelthorne are freeholders of the Centre, with a 125 year lease granted to CMIG. The multi-phased development strategy of the Elmsleigh Centre forms the initial component of our Master plan to expand Staines town centre, in accordance with Spelthorne’s Planning Brief. Planning Consent was granted for the Phase 3, extension, to the South Mall. This includes 125,000 sq./ft. of residential development comprising 124 apartments, of which at least 43 will be affordable. All units have been pre-assessed to level 3*** of the Code for Sustainable Homes and are also designed as Lifetime Homes. Two new retail units (of 50,000 sq./ft. and 19,000 sq./ft.) anchor the South Mall extension which integrates the new Bus Station.

Moor House School & College is a co-educational, non-maintained day and residential special needs school for children with severe speech and language impairments. Located at Hurst Green in Surrey, it provides help and a nurturing environment for students all over the south of England. It receives no Government funding for its building projects. Colman Architects proposed a solution outside the scope of the original school brief which included limited residential improvements and an additional group of buildings. Taking a strategic approach, Colman Architects’ proposal would meet the brief but also re-organise the main school functions on a better footing going forward. Colman Architects realised that the students’ educational needs could all be accommodated within the existing central school buildings if the residential bedrooms were moved out. This move would also allow for modernisation of the residential facilities as individual bedrooms in houses instead of the existing, outdated, less homely dormitories. The first phase of the future vision of Moor House School & College was approved by the school enabling the residential village to start the phased improvements which opened in 2016. The Student Village consists of three 3-storey boarding houses with connecting common rooms to replace the existing second floor dormitory provisions; a new medical centre; and a student centre for use by both day and residential students. Future Phases for the project include new classrooms and a therapy suite. “We were/are very happy with Colman Architect’s quality of work and punctuality. In particular, we enjoyed working with Dave and Simon who were excellent in customer services and relationships.” — Dr Fariba Kellaway, Head of Capital Appeals, Moor House School & College

Colman Architects was been appointed by Elmbridge Borough Council to create an exciting new sports facility in Waterside Drive, Walton. The site, adjacent to the Xcel Centre comprised of Walton Casuals Football Ground and a public park area. An Outline Planning Application received approval for a new sports facility that will include a new football and athletic stadium with a 300 seat, covered, spectator stand and further seating on the opposite side of the stadium, making use of the existing Walton Casuals’ stands, with the additional of a covered standing area behind each goal. New Astro turf and extra grass pitches were to be used by the club’s Youth Teams and new changing rooms to be located below the stands. The proposals for a new 8 lane all weather athletics track, including areas for field events, was been designed to meet Club and ‘Sport England’ requirements with the addition, too, of changing rooms available for use by schools and the community. The new sport and leisure facility was designed to provide community facilities such as a children’s playground, picnic area, outdoor gym area and open space.

Planning and Listed Building Consent has been granted by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for up to 62,000 square feet of new Offices and up to 39,000 square feet of prime Retail space. This follows extensive consultation with local stakeholders for the proposed extension, reconfiguration and refurbishment of the 1969 Dickins & Jones Department Store (currently House of Fraser) within Central Richmond’s Conservation Areas. Retail activity is reinvigorated over 2 levels, along George Street and with return frontage to King Street and Golden Court. Specialist Retail is also reintroduced to 6-8 Paved Court. The main, double height, Office Entrance is located on Golden Court with a Staff Entrance at 4 Paved Court leading to a new “Atrium” amenity space. The contemporary, distinctive, “Cat A” , BREEAM “Excellent”, Office space includes external terraces and extensive cycling facilities.

The proposed development reconfigures and extends the Fishergate Shopping Centre in Preston on a site located within the city's Principle Retail Core and directly adjacent the Preston railway station. It comprises the reconfiguration of existing retail space in the shopping centre, extending the existing popular Primark store to bring significant areas of vacant retail space back into use, and creating a new mall giving direct access from Fishergate to the large surface car park at the rear of the scheme. New and remodelled retail units are provided for new incoming tenants. There will also be a new nine screen cinema and a restaurant hub comprising five new restaurants and a smaller food kiosk. The rear elevation, facing the car park, is completely remodelled to incorporate a new entrance to the Centre and to prominently display new, large, retail units. The whole of the rear of the Centre has been designed to encourage pedestrian flow to and from the Winckley Square quarter. The ground floor restaurants are arranged for easy access from Winckley Square with a new attractive pedestrian realm incorporating customer seating as well as high quality hard and soft landscaping. In turn, this will easily link to the new mall via the new entrance and on to Fishergate, providing a new, convenient shopping and leisure circuit to enhance the City’s offer. In providing this improved link to the car park and by reconfiguring the existing shops at that level, this development aims to bring all existing vacant and under-used retail space back into use by attracting new, incoming, national retailers. The first element of the scheme, the reconfiguration and extension of the Primark store, was granted Planning Consent in 2017.

Augur Liverpool purchased the iconic Lewis’s Department Store and 4 related plots in the old Liverpool Central Station site in 2016. Colman Architects has since developed the ‘Circus’ masterplan strategy which enables the re-birth of the Lewis’s store, giving it new life by making it an integral and exciting part of the wider major development opportunity. By combining Lewis’s, the old station site and a direct access into Central Station into a hub of Leisure and Retail around a new public space, ‘Circus’ will be a new and dynamic destination within Liverpool. It will extend and create links between the main retail of Liverpool and the developing Knowledge Quarter, and create a focal point for the regeneration of the area in a significant place-making opportunity. The current scheme design provides more than 275,000 sq./ft. of retail and leisure space over 5 floors. This is in addition to the existing 126 room Adagio Aparthotel and over 70,000 sq./ft. of grade A refurbished office space over 4 floors and a 25,000 sq./ft. Pure Gym on the lower ground floor. Proceeding in advance of the major project, works have been completed to safeguard and regenerate the Grade II listed Lewis’s building itself. Elevational refurbishment and a new external lighting scheme have been completed and heritage works to original internal features are being developed. Proposals for improvements to the existing upper-floor Adagio aparthotel have been developed with new reception, lounge and dining areas being created at ground floor and meeting rooms and break-out spaces at 5th. Also, a striking new interior design for the existing office entrance and atrium has been delivered for ‘The Department’, Liverpool, regenerating office interest in the building.

We have reached completion on the reconfiguration and refurbishment of a Grade II Listed Georgian Terrace over the Basement, Ground, 1st, 2nd & 3rd floors to create a new 2 story Retail unit and 3 story, 3 bedroom apartment at 12 Porchester Place, Connaught Village, London. The project was completed just 6 months after planning consent was given.

We have worked closely with Colliers International Building Consultancy and Refolo Landscape Architects to convert this former Basement Car Park (constructed in 1966) into a 61,000 sq./ft. Safestore and 12,000 sq./ft. potential Leisure Unit with new Landscaping and Public Realm above. This project was shortlisted for both the Placemaking and Wellbeing sections within the New London Architecture Awards and as also listed as a Grade II addition to Historic England’s Register of Parks and Gardens “Beautiful scheme, and a fantastic example of retrofitting our towns and cities with green and blue” — Jane Findlay - President of the Landscape Institute and Director of Fira.

Our 24th Planning & Listed Building Consents for the Church Commissioners for England within Connaught Village were approved by Westminster City Council in May 2021. These proposals will create a new Retail unit and 2-storey Apartment within this Grade II Listed Georgian terrace. Our Tender information has now been completed and construction is programmed to start on 23rd May 2022 and to be completed by 23rd December.

Our Material Amendment Planning Application has been approved by Westminster City Council. This enhances design and landscaping details and amends the Energy Strategy within our 2018 Planning Permission for the London Diocesan Fund to create a Medical Centre and 9 Apartments within this sensitive Bayswater location. “We are delighted that Westminster Council has approved our application to regenerate the Newton Road Medical Centre and deliver new accommodation for the local area. We have worked constantly with the medical practice and neighbours in bringing forward the proposals. Once complete the rehomed medical centre, operating from purpose-built accommodation, will be able to increase its provision and continue to support the local community.” — William Hagger - Diocese of London

Our Eleventh construction project within Connaught Village, for the Church Commissioners for England, was completed in August 2021. Godfrey Martin worked safely throughout the pandemic to reconfigure and fully refurbish the Basement to 3rd Floors and external fabric of this Grade II Listed Georgian terrace to create a high quality 2-storey Retail Unit and 3-storey 3 Bedroom Apartment.

We obtained Planning consent for the extension and conversion of this 3-storey, concrete framed and brick-clad building on the western side of the Lordship Lane, Dulwich. The existing building comprised a frozen food store (Iceland) at ground floor and predominantly vacant office space on the upper floors. The redevelopment extended the existing Iceland supermarket and changed office and residential space on upper floors into eight new two-bedroom flats. The enlarged ground floor provided an improved unit for the incoming Marks and Spencer Food Hall. The M&S store used the entire original ground floor space as sales area. The new extension to the rear provided space for ancillary accommodation with goods handling and storage, staff areas and cold rooms. Above the store, dividing the floor plan of the existing first and second floor levels into four allowed the formation of eight 2-bedroom flats within the envelope of the existing building. Access to the upper floors and the new flats was relocated to the rear of the building. The flats were approached via a first-floor amenity space on the roof of the retail extension.

Following the successful completion of the Harvey Centre’s new First Floor Mall, our 6 (including IMAX) Screen, 987 seat Cinema shell has now been successfully handed over to Cineworld for fit out. Colman Architects were Finalists in both the “Best Change of Use Of An Existing Building” and “Best Commercial Building” categories of the Local Authorities Building Control East Anglia Awards for this project.

Following the successful completion of the refurbishment of the ground and first floors of this building, to provide two retail units, Colman Architects was appointed to give the building a much needed face lift to the Elevations and provide six new luxury apartments on the second and third floors. The works also included the existing landlord’s areas and a residential entrance to give the entire building a long awaited contemporary design. The modern interiors, bathrooms and kitchens contributed to all units being sold before completion and attracting premium sale price.

Newport City Council has given Planning approval to our design for Queensberry for the development of a new public square in the centre of Newport. Building on Newport’s regeneration initiatives the development in Commercial Street will create a new focal point in the city centre and a high profile approach to the Kingsway Shopping Centre. The hybrid application also provides Outline Consent for the creation of a signature building as part of the square development.

Colman Architects has been appointed to develop a new motorway service area on the M25. The service station area will include a new facilities building, hotel, recreational areas, fuel filling station and extensive vehicle parking. The design approach will integrate the whole development into the landscape, create forms and use materials which are sympathetic to the surrounding Chiltern Hills.

Following the successful completion of the Nightclub/Play 360 redevelopment, Aviva asked Colman Architects to update and refresh the public realm which comprises the 1,000 space car park, cinema and restaurant malls. The scheme was presented to the tenants in June 2018 and works commenced on site in Spring 2019. The scheme included new lighting for the car park, re-asphalting and the creation of an events space at the front of the cinema and restaurant mall entrance. The glass canopies fronting onto the car park were renewed, the elevations refreshed and 'jumbrellas' installed. Within the cinema and restaurant malls, new ceilings, flooring and LED lighting have been installed and purpose designed spiral lights adding a unique feature to the public areas.

Colman Architects designed a new look atrium as a key part of the reposition of the Star City Leisure Development creating a family destination, attracting visitors during the day and evening. This new scheme has been achieved by removing the indoor ski-slope and creating a coherent environment using neutral tones and new lighting.

Colman Architects developed a mixed use scheme in Walthamstow which incorporated a new 50,000 sq./ft. Central Library and 70,000 sq./ft. of retail and restaurant units, a 20,000 sq./ft. fitness club and 32 apartments. The London Borough of Waltham Forest selected Henry Boot Developments as the preferred development partner in February 2001 from a short-list of developers following the submission of detailed proposals. The distinctive form of the Library and the dramatic 3-storey glazed entrance formed the visual focus of the design and created a signature building.