Background

This project saw the remodelling of a combined office and snooker, pool and gaming premises into a local supermarket and residential apartments. A.W. Hardy was proud to secure the contract in open tender. The new scheme was designed by Stone Me Architects and Crucis Designs.

Extensive alteration

The work required extensive alteration and refurbishment to the existing masonry structure, which had concrete upper floors and a tiled pitched roof on timber trusses. Being a corner plot in the centre of South Woodham Ferrers, the scheme was a challenging and demanding location for development.

The central core of the existing building featured a concrete staircase which had to be removed and infilled at each floor level. The tiled roof structure had to be stripped, removed and reconfigured to allow for a penthouse flat to be constructed in the former roof space. All this was undertaken within a site that afforded only restricted access on one side of the building, leading to an undercroft parking area at the rear of the premises. Ultimately this was also required as a loading area by the incoming retailer on the ground floor.

Successful completion

As well as making major alterations, we extended the premises using a matching masonry cavity wall construction with pitched roofs (the same as the original building). The resulting development not only provided retail-space for the Co-Operative supermarket and a roof-level penthouse flat, but also nine prestigious two-bedroom flats – an impressive addition to the client’s portfolio of buildings. We were delighted with our team’s performance in meeting construction challenges throughout this important new development.