Doris Imafidon has been with Fleet Architects this week for work experience, as a year 12 student from Clapton Girls Academy she has been developing a brief for the relocation of a local GP practice culminating in a spatial briefing diagram for the waiting area.
1 week. No prior experience. Very little tutoring. Well done Doris! We look forward to welcoming another student from Clapton Girls next week!
articles, news
Fleet and the Fort Road Hotel Ltd team have been working closely with Thanet District Council to finalise proposals for the refurbishment and extension of the historic Hotel which overlooks the Turner Contemporary gallery from its clifftop seat in Margate, Kent.
The scheme adds a deliberately simple and sober contemporary floor to the building, complementing but not mimicking the existing fabric which will be sensitively restored, as befitting of the building which has been long mooted for listing.
The building sits within the Margate Central conservation area and occupies a prominent location, it’s historic, sentimental and aesthetic importance to the grand seaside town is unquestionable having been speculated to have been patronised by JMW Turner.
The restored Fort Road Hotel will open in the late 2020 and will offer simple lodging rooms with views of Margate’s spectacular sunsets maximised. The entrance floor will be restored to offer a dining and shared lounge space. The works will begin imminently.
Jaime Bishop, Fleet Director commented “ we are really pleased to have developed a proposal which is both modern but also sympathetic, we are very grateful for the time and careful consideration the planning and conservation team have allowed the project”.
Leader of Thanet District Council, Cllr Bob Bayford:
“The Fort Road Hotel (previously the Fort Castle Public House) is one of Margate’s oldest buildings and one of the last surviving buildings in the seafront area today that the artist JMW Turner would recognise.
“We are delighted that plans for a boutique hotel, restaurant and roof terrace have been approved for this iconic site. The proposals retain historic features, will enhance the provision of quality hotel accommodation in Margate and contribute positively to the economic development of the town.”
The building was bought by compulsory purchase order in 2010 by Thanet District Council after the owner left the building in a state of disrepair. The hotel was last discussed by the previous Labour controlled council in 2015, where a £950,000 budget was agreed for the building to be converted into social housing for elderly council tenants. After pressing ahead with a marketing campaign to attract bidders, the authority argued at the time that a hotel or tourist attraction was not a viable option.
Described by many as an ‘Eyesore’ due to is dilapidated state, and previous plans to turn the derelict building into a boutique hotel having fallen through, the Fort Road Hotel was subsequently sold off on the open market and purchased by the new owners, Fort Road Hotel Ltd in 2018.
Fleet Architects Director, Jaime Bishop, will be at Design in Mental Health Networks‘ exhibition at Architects for Health stand number 126 hosted at the Richoh Arena over the next 2 days if anyone wants to chat about how engaged Clients working with Architects can arrange all this very clever stuff into a building which is not only safe, but also therapeutic. #mentalhealth #nhs #health #AfH #architecture.
AfH would also like to thank furniture sponsor Teal for the loan of the Roku chairs and table made from recycled plastic waste.
news
Fleet Architects and BB Heritage Studio are excited to have been selected to undertake a development appraisal and business planning in support of a transformational regeneration project in the historic ‘Kasbah’ area of the Port of Grimsby.
Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust, North East Lincolnshire Council, and the landlord Associated British Ports Ltd are developing ambitious plans for the conservation and restoration of the Petersons Smokehouse building to create a fully operating smokehouse with an associated retail outlet.
Vicky Hartung, Chair of Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust said “After nine years advocating for Grimsby’s fishing heritage buildings, we can’t wait to get started on the development phase of the Peterson’s Project, and look forward very much to working with Fleet Architects and BB Heritage Studio.”
Jaime Bishop of Fleet Architects said “This is a great opportunity to add to our expanding portfolio of urban regeneration projects using historic industrial buildings. It follows on perfectly from our ongoing work in the Luton Hat District. We will continue our collaboration with You&Me who do a brilliant job with Stakeholder Engagement, and we are thrilled to be working with BB Heritage Studio who have a wealth of conservation experience and will be responsible for authoring the Conservation Management Plan. We also have Tim Kershaw on the team, he grew up in Grimsby and brings local knowledge and a lifelong fascination with the potential of the fish docks area.
It is marvellous to be involved in the first project of (hopefully) many in the Kasbah. We’ll pull out all the stops to ensure the satisfaction of the stakeholders, maximise the chances of securing funding, and stand ourselves in good stead for further work in this fascinating area”
Bernadette Bone of BB Heritage Studio said “We are really delighted to be working in collaboration with the project team to unlock the potential of Peterson’s Smokehouse. We’ve seen first-hand how the revitalising of our industrial heritage can enable significant regeneration. We are very much looking forward to being part of this journey in Grimsby and working to enable this unique heritage to breathe new life into the Kasbah area.”The Development Appraisal is funded by The Architectural Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
news
The Fleet and YOU&ME designed refurbishment of an historic Hat Factory in Luton’s Hat District for Luton Culture with funding from SEMLEP has been offically ‘topped-out’in a ceremony attended by the Mayor of Luton, Councillor Naseem Ayub.
HatHouse, which is the sister project to HatWorks, encompasses the refurbishment of a handsome Edwardian purpose built hat factory into works spaces including an modern hat designer and manufacturer’s studio. The basemen will house a food and beverage offer serving the wider Hat District.
The process has carefully stripped back the layers to uncover the original materials and structure. Featured images show the repair works to the historical floor members and the sandblasting to used to uncover the previously concealed internal brickwork.
news
After a 5 year period away Jaime Bishop of Fleet Architects was re-elected to the Executive Committee of Architects for Health by the membership. The AGM, which also hosted the annual Phil Gusack Lecture delivered by Professor Sir Robert Winston, welcomed the election of 3 other new members to the executive committee, including Caroline Mulholland of Sir Robert Macalpine, Alice Green of P and HS and Dr Hina Lad of Llewelyn Davies.
Jaime was previously an AfH board member between 2007 and 2014. During this period he launched the Student Health Design awards initially sponsored by Brookfield PLC. Working with Sue Francis, the event evolved into the Student Charette with support from the Mace Group, which hosted teams of international and local students for a week of exploring current and emerging design issues in Healthcare. Topics included working with Guy’s and St Thomas’ to design Acute settings for the aging population and with increasing prevalence of dementia (poster featured above – image courtesy of Stuart Pearson Wright), designing for death and rethinking paediatric outpatients within an acute setting.
Between 2006 and 2010 Jaime was an elected Governor at the Homerton University NHS FT before being invited to join the board of East London Integrated Care (a not for profit CIC commissioning enhanced primary care services in City and Hackney). Since the advent of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) he has been a non-executive board member of City and Hackney NHS CCG, first leading on Patient and Public Involvement and more latterly devolved primary care commissioning. Having learned from the era of CCGs as they now morph into larger integrated commissioners and GP practice gears up to work at scale, Jaime hopes to bring this behind the scenes knowledge to the architectural forum and to promote the Architectural vision and opportunity working alongside policy makers, commissioners and public estate managers. Jaime has written widely on policy implications for estates including the development of Sustainability Transformation Plans and their impact and future demands on the NHS and Social Care Estates. Jaime is very interested in the social determinants of health and the role architecture should play within a healthy cityscape.
news
The team at Fleet have obtained listed building permission to convert a Grade II former Language School in Ramsgate into nine generous flats. The site consists of two bays of the Royal Crescent on Augustine’s Road neighbouring Pugin’s Grange and Chapel and overlooking the Royal Harbour. Six of the flats will enjoy direct sea views with four double fronted flats including balconies or direct access to the cliff top greensward. The proposals also include the addition of a new build pavilion addressing St Augustine’s Road.
More information to follow.
news
2019 has started with a flurry of successful planning applications including the extension and remodelling of a terraced cottage in the Arlington Square Conservation Area in the London Borough of Islington.
More information to follow.
news
The Fleet YOU&ME team, working with Luton Culture, have obtained planning permission for the conversion of a Grade II listed former Hat Factory, the oldest in Luton’s Hat District, to become shared office spaces and a community heritage centre.
This is the second of two former Hat Factories currently underway with the Fleet YOU&ME team.
Fleet have continued their excellent record in both planning and listed building submissions with one more Grade II listed design and two conservation proposals due for determination imminently.
More information and images to follow.
(Below) The Hat Works Project as seen from our other project with Luton Culture, Hat House.
