The building is the head office of 1625 Independent People, the south west’s largest youth homeless charity. The north range of the building was built-off retained medieval cellars in 1706, and a large hall was built behind as a community meeting space at the end of the 19th century. The building is Grade II* Listed, and is on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register, due to its current poor state of repair.
The development phase of the project concluded in July 2024 with submission of the Delivery Phase application to the NLHF and the submission of the planning and listed building application. The feedback from the NLHF following the development phase mid-term review was very positive.
Through RIBA Stage 02 of the project, CSA worked closely with the charity’s various stake holder groups to develop a complex brief to transform the building with the young people they support at the centre of the proposals, and with the intention to restore the hall as a space for the local community.
The project will provide new places for young people to overcome isolation, improve their mental wellbeing and create connections with their support workers, coaches and peers as well as new training spaces where young people can re-engage with education and gain qualifications.
The proposals also include upgraded and functional workspace for the building to continue to function as the headquarters of 1625 and is an opportunity to generate a sustainable income through a number of new move-on studio flats for homeless young people, a social enterprise cafe and the hall itself.
Diagram illustrating the proposed cafe area
The scheme that emerged reinstated the sequence of the ground floor spaces, which had been heavily subdivided with modern partitions, and created a more open and welcoming reception. A mezzanine inserted in the hall creates a gradient of spaces for workshops and meetings, and the repositioning of the kitchen and servicing accommodation enables the hall to be used for different functions at different times of the day. The scheme also proposes a new rooftop extension to accommodate the new studio units and a programme of external fabric repairs to roof and the 18th century facade.
Diagram illustrating the main hall area
