Rare new townhouse to be built within Chester city walls
Planning permission has been granted for a new four-storey townhouse in the Chester city centre conservation area. The designer of the house, for a private client, believes it is the first single-occupancy dwelling to be permitted within the city walls in living memory.
Local practice Andy Foster Architects designed the project, located on a site in historic Black Friars that became vacant as a result of the demolition required for the construction of the inner ring road in the 1960s. The plot is located next to a grade two-listed terrace of Georgian townhouses and immediately behind the listed home of the famous 18th century Chester architect, Thomas Harrison.
Randal Turner, director of Andy Foster Architects, said: “It is always pleasing to produce a contemporary design that is sensitive to the historic context of the site but which also mends a portion of urban fabric that was damaged in the 20th century. These kind of projects don’t come along very often.”
Given the sensitive nature of the project, the design was submitted by the client to the recently formed Cheshire West & Cheshire Design Review Panel. The panel welcomed the proposals and suggested a number of areas of detail for further consideration. The design team duly re-visited certain aspects of facing materials and fenestration and arrived at a final solution that was supported through the planning process without recourse to the planning committee.
The clients commented “the site has been in our family’s ownership for over 50 years and, having finally made the decision to build a home for ourselves, it has been very exciting for us to participate in the development of the design and now to achieve the planning consent.”
The planning consultant is J10 Planning. L-P Archaeology and Engineering & More also advise.
