Creffield Road

Employers Agent: Apex CM Ltd
Planning Supervisor/CDM: Apex CM Ltd
Structural Engineer: H.J. Structural Engineers
M&E Engineers: JSH Engineers
Acoustic Consultants: Sharps Redmore

Sensitive contemporary design for a ‘showpiece’ conservation area

Comprising the refurbishment of a locally-listed Victorian villa, and a pair of new-build townhouses, this scheme for Colchester Amphora Homes is situated in the prestigious Lexden Conservation Area, to the west of Colchester town centre.

Providing a mix of affordable and open-market housing for Colchester City Councils ‘arms-length’ development company, the refurbishment design maximised the potential of the existing villa layout and upgraded the building fabric to meet current building regulations standards, with care being taken at every stage to respect the character, style, and craftsmanship of the original structure.

The design of the new-build townhouses makes careful use of form, composition and detailing to deliver an attractive contemporary interpretation of the much-loved Victorian aesthetic. Providing a fitting addition to the existing street-scene, the townhouses proved very popular with the local market and sold swiftly.

As is often the case with refurbishment projects, the villa renovation involved numerous complexities and surprises. Opening-up the existing structure presented design challenges which, when creatively assessed, were able to be turned into opportunities to improve the project outcome – the discovery of a hidden ‘back stairs’ enabled one-bed flats to be reconfigured into two-beds, and the adjustment of an existing floor level allowed a single storey ground floor flat to become a two-story duplex with a new top-lit basement-level bedroom.

The project was part of a string of repeat work for Colchester City Council won by Barefoot & Gilles through competitive tender.