Enabling development of 16 homes, outside of any settlement boundary.
No 9 and no 11 High Street form part of the 2-storey (with rooms in the attic) locally listed terrace of buildings, with commercial/mixed use. They occupy a prominent location directly opposite Poole Waterfront Museum and are surrounded by a plethora of Listed Buildings.
SWA were appointed to prepare a full planning application and then oversee the construction of the new shopfront at 11 High Street, including window replacement and front elevation refurbishment to both Italian Diva Restaurant and Quayside B&B. As a key building in the Conservation Area and a s a part of heritage funding, we were elected principally to act on behalf of the Local Planning Authority.
The existing shopfronts were in dire need of restoration and their current appearance was not in keeping with their important setting. The façade was cluttered with old and rusty fixtures, the restaurant shopfront had domestic-looking and unattractive glazing and had an overpowering security shutter enclosure.
SWA designed a new shopfront that takes inspiration in its layout, pattern and arrangement from several existing shopfronts within the Conservation Area. It is framed by pilasters which close the shopfront ensemble and with the facia sign as a form of entablature with conventional cornice, frieze and architrave, in traditional pattern. The pilasters have a base and cap which has a form of classical proportion and with the base having dominance over the incoming stall riser. The glazed area, hierarchy of mouldings, sizes and sections, as well as the stall riser and plinth, are all taken from comparative examples nearby.
SWA’s design and careful detailing brought back a historical narrative that certainly adds to the character and appearance of the area, as well as to the commercial vitality of the restaurant and the neighbouring premises.