GUILDHALL QUARTER

The decline of the UK High Street is an ongoing challenge for communities, businesses, local authorities and designers to understand and address.

A combination of changing customer behaviour, internet shopping and big-box out of town retail has led to increased vacancy on High Streets and this phenomenon is all the more challenging in places of special heritage and cultural significance such as Canterbury.

In January 2020, Debenhams vacated their large store which they had occupied for decades within Canterbury city centre which had comprised over 93,000sq.ft. of retail space spread over several adjacent buildings totalling about 200 meters of ground level frontage across five streets within the World Heritage Site. This rambling series of linked premises had gradually become impractical for occupation by a single retailer meaning that by the time of Debenhams closure there were around 40% of the floor space left empty.

The design represents a sensitive and characterful vision for this important location in Canterbury that acknowledges the history of its surroundings and their future vitality.

The Guildhall Quarter proposals include plans to repurpose the Debenhams sites fronting the High Street, Guildhall Street, Buttermarket and Mercery Lane, and create a mix of smaller shops at ground level only better suited to today’s retailers whilst developing the upper floors into apartments for city centre living. If approved, Guildhall Quarter will see the transformation of the ground floor of the two Debenhams stores into 11 smaller retail units, with the upper floors being redeveloped into 70 apartments including the addition of two new floors. The ground floor store on Guildhall Street, currently trading as Cotswold Outdoors in a building also leased by Debenhams, will remain as a shop, with proposals to create six apartments in the two floors above.

The proposed scheme for the Guildhall Quarter has been developed through a significant analysis of the existing buildings, their condition and their relationship with Canterbury’s world heritage site.

Prior Park

Hazells Farm

GUILDHALL QUARTER

GUILDHALL QUARTER

GUILDHALL QUARTER

The decline of the UK High Street is an ongoing challenge for communities, businesses, local authorities and designers to understand and address.

The design represents a sensitive and characterful vision for this important location in Canterbury that acknowledges the history of its surroundings and their future vitality.

Clague Canterbury

Clague Harpenden

CLAGUE CANTERBURY

CLAGUE HARPENDEN