A listed building on Southgate Street tested for a ten-bed co-living scheme above a retained shop, with private and shared gardens worked into the plan.
Co-living design10 beds
Ground floorShop retained
ConstraintListed building
Building typeListed mixed use, shop and residential
Planning routeFull planning and listed building consent
01
The Challenge
Listed buildings are the hardest conversion category: every internal alteration needs justifying, and co-living intensity multiplies the scrutiny. The client wanted to know whether a ten-bed co-living scheme could work at 23 Southgate while keeping the existing shop trading on the ground floor.
02
Our Approach
The sketch study worked floor by floor through the building, testing en-suite provision against the existing wall layout, retaining the shop frontage, and allocating the rear garden between shared amenity and private space for the ground-floor rooms. Proposed ensuites and new partitions are drawn against the existing fabric so the listed building impact is visible from the start.
03
The Outcome
The study shows a ten-bed co-living layout with the shop partially retained, sunken garden amenity for the basement room, and a shared garden strategy. The client can now brief heritage consultants and approach pre-application discussions with a concrete scheme rather than a hope.
