Heaton House Lofts includes the rejuvenation of a neglected site in the Jewellery Quarter. Featuring new builds apartments, townhouses and commercial uses, the jewel in the crown is a 19th Century villa from 1795 - Heaton House. 

Plans will see it restored, converted and made the crowning centrepiece of this exciting new development.

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JQ PROJECTS: Heaton House Lofts, Camden Street


JQ PROJECTS: Heaton House Lofts, Camden Street


Heaton House Lofts includes the rejuvenation of a neglected site in the Jewellery Quarter. Featuring new builds apartments, townhouses and commercial uses, the jewel in the crown is a 19th Century villa from 1795 - Heaton House. 

Plans will see it restored, converted and made the crowning centrepiece of this exciting new development.


ONE of the most eagerly anticipated developments of the year goes to Planning Committee on Thursday (May 7) with the developer seeking to transform a neglected 19th Century Jewellery Quarter site.

Heaton House Lofts, on Camden Street and Powell Street, is being brought forward by Elevate Property Group, with ambitious plans to transform the site by way of demolition, conversion and the erection of four new builds; delivering 42 apartments, 14 townhouses and 3,500 sq ft of commercial space.

Elevate are seeking to breath new life into the site, having owned the site for two-and-a-half-years now, and having gone through a rigorous application process. D5 Architects have designed the scheme.

UNEARTHED 19TH CENTURY GEM

The development will unearth and revive a true hidden gem within the site: 1795-built Heaton House, with plans to restore the Georgian villa into a four-bedroom (3,362 sq ft) dwelling house, with its own garden, rooftop terrace and garage.

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The villa was once a middle-class dwelling house in the 19th century, before being swallowed up by the industrialisation of the Jewellery Quarter. All original features on the house will be reinstated, with only modern additions being removed.

The building will undergo sensitive cleaning and repair works to its brickwork; installation of a new slate roof; repairing/recreating the original stone; installation of new windows; and the installation of a new portico entrance & staircase - as you can see below.

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Directly around Heaton House, the hardscaping here represents the footprint design of the original landscape the villa once sat in - a nice gentle nod to the past; these can be seen on historical maps of the site.

Heaton House will soon become the centrepiece of the new development, with all new contemporary builds strategically formed around the villa.

SITE PLAN WITH NEW BUILDS

The site will be thoroughly demolished before work can commence here.

Plans will see the construction of four new builds; three of which will be residential builds located on Camden Street (Block A, B & C); one commercial building (Block D) on Powell Street; with Block C and D seeing three-storey rear wings that enclose the site boundaries.

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/Untitled(3)(1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />Stephen Giles: Birmingham Interactive Development Map

The residential mix of accommodation will comprise of 20 one bed (one person apartment); 10 one bed (two person apartment); 12 two bed apartments; 12 three bedroom townhouses; 2 four bedroom townhouses; and Heaton House will provide 1 four bedroom villa. 6 (10%) apartments are to be provided as low cost units with a 25% discount on market sale values.

All builds facing out onto their respective streets will reach four storeys tall.

Block D will be a commercial build with ground floor residents entrance lobby and access to the commercial spaces on the upper three floors. Uses here are expected to see offices or leisure/gym use. Residents will be free to be walk through and out onto the internal courtyard to the three-storey winged townhouses and parking/cycle areas.

On Camden Street, two of the blocks will rise to five storeys as you venture into the site; by virtue of accommodation proposed within the pitched roofs.

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Given the gradient of the street, the Camden Street frontage naturally steps down before the builds are interjected by the main entrance; thus ensuring Heaton House gets the last laugh with a new prominent frontage.

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A cycle store of 57 will be provided within Block B, with vehicular access provided under Block A, where a courtyard space will cater for 15 cars.

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="https://www.yourplaceyourspace.net/uploadedfiles/Heaton%20House%202.jpg" />

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49742020918_54f8010223_o.jpg" />SUBTLE NOD: The gates here are in the original position as they were in the 19th century. 

THREE-STOREY WINGS

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These three-storey wings will be subdivided to provide 14 townhouses, with the intention of enclosing the western and southern site boundaries.

The periphery of the site will include amenity spaces in the form of courtyard spaces of various sizes, and the incorporation of private terraces to the rear of said dwellings.

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DEMOLITION 

Before all this can materialise however, the site will need to be demolished. 

Today, the site is bringing down the tone of the Conservation Area; sitting forlornly, occupied by vacant un-listed two and three storey industrial builds, with many in a poor state of no return.

Objections to these demolitions have been raised by The Victorian Society, Historic England and Jewellery Quarter Development Trust (JQDT), who all share the same concerns: the loss of the back-to-back housing and the original Coach House to Heaton House. 

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dndimg alt="" dndsrc="https://www.yourplaceyourspace.net/uploadedfiles/demo.jpg" />SITE: Back to Backs, Camden Street, Google Street View

Elevate - a company who have sensitively renovated many historic build over the years, pointed out that these buildings have been left to deteriorate over the years, whilst interiorly, they have been stripped back and altered so much, that no original character remains.

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49728519116_f3fce2659e_c.jpg" />SITE: Camden Street, Google Street View

'BENEFITS OF REDEVELOPMENT OUTWEIGH THEIR LOSS'

The Conservation officer accepts their loss by admitting that the conditions of these builds were too far gone, with the back-to-backs the only one offering any modicum of significance; albeit medium, but admitted that it would be difficult to implement them into the scheme.

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/aa(2).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />SITE: Summer Hill Road, Google Street View

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49728519071_290dbb4e38_c.jpg" />SITE: Powell Street, Google Street View

Heaton House Lofts has been recommended for APPROVAL.

Words by Stephen Giles
Artists Impressions are the property of Elevate Property Group/ D5 Architects.
 
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