Secured Listed Building Consent to convert the second floor of Colet Court into a children’s dental practice.
This Grade II listed building, constructed in 1890 to the designs of H. W. Spauld, features detailed red brick and terracotta in a loosely Tudor revival style. Although originally designed to house St Paul’s Preparatory School, the building now predominantly comprises office space following redevelopment in the 1980’s.
Heritage Potential successfully secured Listed Building Consent for the conversion of the second floor into a specialist children’s dental practice and surgery. The consent permitted internal reconfiguration of the floorspace, including the installation of numerous partitions to create surgeries and ancillary facilities. It also enabled the introduction of sufficient M&E infrastructure to support medical use, such as a dropped ceiling, raised floor and adjustments to the ventilation system. Thorough archival research into the building’s history and development was undertaken to understand the original plan form and historical use of spaces. This research informed heritage-led interventions wherever possible.
The nature of the proposed use required some subdivision of the former main dormitory, a historically open space. As such, significant market evidence was obtained to demonstrate the floorspace was no longer viable for office use and the dental surgery was a viable alternative that could secure significant public benefit for the local community, in which access to dental care was particularly poor. We were also able to demonstrate that the bespoke fit out was almost entirely reversible and largely transparent, making use of glazed partitions in the sensitive areas to minimise and mitigate potential impacts on plan form.
Following several meetings with the planning and conservation officer and the collation of technical evidence, it was agreed that the marketing evidence could demonstrate that the application would bring the vacant second-floor level back into viable use, whilst at the same time preserving the significance of the listed building and conservation area, which was considered a positive benefit of the proposal. Officers consider that the proposal would preserve the significance of the subject listed building, in accordance with Sections 16 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
