THOMAS FORD & PARTNERS
HAVENS
WHARF
BOSTON
As members of a multi-disciplinary team, the practice provided advice to Boston Borough Council on the physical condition, repair needs and opportunities for re-use of unlisted warehouses dating from around 1900.
A planning application by a private developer to demolish the riverside warehouses and construct two free-standing residential towers had been refused.
Analysis was of the development of the historic core of the town from the medieval period and of the damage caused by insensitive post-war highway construction. This was used to demonstrate the contribution that the warehouses make to a coherent urban landscape and how their retention was not only possible, but could allow a higher commercial yield than demolition.
This strategy was embraced by the developer, who subsequently submitted a planning application based on this approach.