Marlborough Street
We submitted a Full Planning Application for the urban regeneration of a vacant, mixed-use site in the heart of Faringdon, Oxfordshire. The submission of this planning application follows several months of liaison and design development with the Vale of White Horse District Council and Faringdon Town Council.
The development for urban regeneration seeks to deliver refurbished retail space on the ground floor with two new apartments above, alongside the refurbishment of existing apartments and the construction of three new townhouses to the rear, accessed from Marlborough Street.
The site sits within the town centre retail zone as well as the conservation area and is in close proximity to multiple listed buildings. As such, the layout has been informed by the constraints of the site, with areas of proposed development sympathetic to the proximity and outlook of neighbouring properties.
The design development was led with careful consideration of elevation treatments to provide a sense of modernity to the new build component of the scheme whilst complementing the surrounding buildings.
The design incorporates a largely buff brick with tonal variation, similar to the materiality of the retained structures on site. The tonal palette of the proposed design draws inspiration from the existing Marlborough Street facades but with contemporary detailing that aids legibility to the modern insertion in the street scene.
The vacant former supermarket that occupies this site closed in May 2017 and the proposals seek to offer a more flexible retail setting that is in line with current letting demands in the town. The refurbished retail space will offer enhanced in-town convenience shopping to residents to reduce the need to travel by car. The regeneration of the site will also reanimate a long since dormant site in a prominent part of the historic town.
The project was commenced by the practice through an initial feasibility exercise, that we undertook in August 2018. The project has engaged all aspects of our interdisciplinary team, including Urban Designers, Town Planners, Architects and Heritage specialists. The team’s previous experience with interdisciplinary projects located in conservation areas and working with listed buildings ensures a joined-up and respectful approach to contemporary design in a historic setting.
We have previously worked on similar town centre regeneration schemes comprising a mixture of retail and residential, including the now-completed scheme at Westbury Court in Bicester.
