Dartford town centre shop rebuild plan submitted
Plans have been submitted to demolish six retail units on Market Street in Dartford for replacement commercial units and housing.
The existing buildings are mostly single storey with the exception of one two-storey building.
They date from the 1920s and the single story nature is unusual. Often such diminutive buildings are a result of bomb damage but it seems they were always single storey.
The building sits close to hundreds of new homes being built on Tesco’s former Lowfield Street site, the most recent phase of which was recently approved.
The site sits within Dartford town centre conservation area and close to the recently revamped market place. Initial plans were quite different with pitched rooves:
Dartford Council planers were not happy the appearance, stating: “The pre-application scheme has the appearance of a more pastiche/traditional style building with a modern roof extension.. The principle of the form is accepted but needs to be
interpreted in a more innovative modern design”.
That evolved into the more angular building now submitted:
All 14 flats are two-bedroom units. The site sits within the Dartford Town Centre Area where planning strategy aims for 1,030 new homes and 300 new jobs while pushing for the ‘full use of upper floors in developments’ for residential use.
Residential usage in the town centre is aimed at benefiting existing business and attracting new shops and leisure facilities.
Planning documents can be seen here.
Ooooh, red brick and glass box, very innovative
I think the mixed use developments of commercial units with flats above does seem to work well and has proved successful in other areas and town centres. While providing mucch needed new homes.
How many of the new flats will be classesd as affordable?.
The proposed 300 new jobs will also be welcome along with new jobs in the construction sector.
Dartford Council: “Wait, this isn’t a boring square box that looks like every other new build block of flats for miles around! Go back and make it more generic!”
The first plan looks both nicer and totally in line with other modern pitched roof designs. The square replacement is crushingly dull