Grade II listed Chester residential conversion scheme completes in the heart of the city
Our Chester team has handed over a city centre residential conversion scheme on Eastgate Street, a project which is part of Chester’s One City Plan, a strategy to guide the city’s future economic regeneration.
Vacant upper floors in the Grade II listed building at 19 Eastgate Steet have been converted into residential accommodation. The building, which dates to the 1860s, is one of a number of examples in Chester’s retail district, where upper floors have been predominantly empty for a number of years.
The completed Eastgate scheme consists of five apartments, including the refurbishment of an existing two-bedroom penthouse apartment, offering stunning views across the city centre and Cathedral. The project saw the sensitive refurbishment of the apartments over four floors and a retail unit to the ground floor level, respecting and retaining original historic features.
Cassidy + Ashton worked on behalf of the property’s managing agent, Legat Owen, and the building owners, Chums Ltd. Our Chester team delivered the project from inception to completion, from an initial feasibility to working closely with the local planning authority and the conservation team to achieve planning and listed building consent and subsequently with the contractor for the on-site works.
The One City Plan, originally drafted in 2012 as a 15-year strategy, was updated in 2022 to create a vision for the city up to 2045. It seeks to co-ordinate and drive a programme of public and private investment and development activity into Chester city centre and act as a guide the future economic regeneration of Chester. One key objective is to create a mixed-use city centre where people can live, work and play.
The Chester team is currently working on a number of similar schemes in Chester city centre, providing planning and architectural services, as well as specialist heritage architecture consultancy services.
Director Guy Evans said: “The completion of the Eastgate scheme has given Chester city a glimpse of the vision for the future of its city centre. The city’s One City Plan is a valuable resource to ensure that the city centre can adapt but retain its historic charm and preserve its heritage.
“We are proud to play such an important role in the regeneration of Chester and look forward to continuing to work with the developers and with the Council to help breathe new life into other vacant buildings in the city centre.
“Our team has a strong understanding of the opportunities and constraints faced on such projects, including planning legislation, the logistics of working on listed buildings and a well-established working relationship with the Council, meaning we are well-placed to work on such projects.”
