A new lease of life
Many city centres have been in decline for a number of years. The popularity of online shopping, high council business rents and rates, and a fall in physical ‘bricks and mortar’ stores have all contributed to a change in the look of many high streets. We are seeing many buildings now being used for alternative purposes in all kinds of innovative and inventive ways. Years ago, as trends passed, theatres became cinemas, which then became concert venues or bingo halls. Nowadays, these big spaces are most likely to be converted into apartments, or hotels, or student accommodation – depending on the needs of the towns or cities. And in the night-time leisure sector, which seems to currently dominate most large towns and cities, we’re seeing everything from communal social spaces to places of worship turned into bars and restaurants. In this way, old buildings are being refurbished and brought back to life, to fulfil a need and a purpose, and businesses are able to thrive in once-empty spaces.
Top of the game
In Chester, we’ve even seen the top floor of a car park – effectively the roof of the building – transformed into a space that can be used for all kinds of leisure activities. Pepper Street Car Park has been a landmark in Chester for years. This concrete multi-storey car park was built on the site of the Chester Lion Brewery Co Ltd – the lion statue, made of Coade Stone, that once stood on the top of the brewery now stands atop the car park. Grosvenor Estates, along with IKO Projects, looked to develop the rooftop space as a social area, with multiple bars and food offerings. Architect Chapman Taylor designed the scheme, which was required to secure a change of use classification.
Surveying the options
The project went ahead and opened in autumn 2024. Now named the Rooftop Social Club, the space can also be used for a variety of other purposes, including a silent cinema and an ice rink. The area required a survey before the project could be planned out, to ensure that the site would be fit for purpose. The 13,000 square feet leisure hub ranged across the top two floors of the car park and Powers’ surveyors had to provide the data to ascertain that the structure was suitable for what was proposed. This included capacity for 300 people and four repurposed shipping containers, which contained the food and bar concessions. This is a great example of how surveying is an integral part of the regeneration and renewal of city centre buildings and venues.
A question of suitability
The same is true in the countryside, with many agricultural sites now being developed through diversification into leisure destinations. One of the most popular repurposes of farmland is to have holiday accommodation, such as wooden lodges, glamping pods or chalets, built on the land. Projects such as this require a great deal of planning and geospatial surveyors will be involved from the beginning of the process, as landscapes and estate buildings will need to be assessed as to whether they are suitable for development. Many questions will need to be answered. Does the land flood? Are there the required services present? Will the infrastructure accommodate additional traffic, etc? A surveyor will be able to support in addressing these queries with, for example, topographical, aerial or underground utility surveys.
If you are a business or developer who has a regeneration or diversification project that requires a land survey, then get in touch today to see how we can help.
