Clews Architects The Branch Community Centre Chipping Norton

THE BRANCH COMMUNITY CENTRE CHIPPING NORTON

MULTI-PURPOSE COMMUNITY SPACE

PROJECT SUMMARY
St.Marys Church in Chipping Norton had a bold vision to reconfigure and extend the Grade II* listed derelict Natwest Bank in the centre of the Market Square into a new Community Centre for the local community. Realising that their ever growing programme of social services and outreach required more flexible space than their Grade I listed church could provide, The Branch Trust was formed to develop a new facility in the heart of the town. By ensuring visibility and accessibility to everyone, barriers to the most vulnerable cohorts of the local community would be removed.

The brief was to sensitively adapt and extend the listed building to provide a new facility flexible enough to meet the growing social needs of a community suffering with rural isolation. The challenge was to deliver a confident new fully accessible community building within the historically sensitive listed building and setting.

Location Plan

Site Plan

The design ethos was to reaffirm the significance of the original ranges of the building be replacing the rear later extensions in manner that better respected the existing building and context. Access for all was essential and involved the reconfiguration of all floor levels to match the main range.

Massing model of existing building

Plan Circulation Diagram

Section Organisation Diagram

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
St Mary’s Church is at the heart of a busy and growing parish community and it provides a programme of critical social services and outreach programmes. The Branch Trust has overseen & expanded this work via a vibrant, versatile multi-purpose community space which has now been created within the former Grade II* Natwest Bank. This offers a warm and welcoming series of spaces to enable The Branch Trust to work collaboratively with other charities & statutory services.

Existing Ranges

Removals

Floor levels

Proposed

Chipping Norton is home to the most deprived neighbourhood in West Oxfordshire, where opportunities for children & young people rank in the bottom 10% in England & employment prospects are in the lowest 5% nationally. The Branch Trust works with Youth & Mental Health Services, housing, local schools, Health Visitors & the police on programmes to address the underlying barriers to these issues, but a major primary obstacle is access to services. The vision was to create a space where vital services are made visible and accessible to the most vulnerable in society within the heart of the town.

The principle concept was to remove the later rear ranges and reconfigure the internal organisation of the narrow split level burgage plot with new purpose built larger extensions. By altering the floor levels throughout and moving the stair and lift core the internal layout was simplified and circulation improved.

The accommodation on the ground floor comprises a new flexible hall space and community kitchen, with function spaces and a reception cafe. On the lower ground floor a new shared workspace is created to generate some additional income along with a music studio and storage. The first and second floors are dedicated for staff and volunteer offices and meeting rooms.

The use of traditional materials such as hand-made clay wall and roof tiles were fundamental in reassuring the local community that their heritage asset was being respected but these textures are complemented with contemporary structural glazing and detailed in a manner to ensure the building reflects its new use and expresses its inclusivity.

Existing Basement Floor Plan

Proposed Basement Floor Plan

Existing Ground Floor Plan

Proposed Ground Floor Plan

View of Front Elevation from Market Square

View of Existing Rear Ranges

View of Ground Floor Main Range

The planning process was complex and was only made possible through early detailed consultations with Historic England that showed a clear strategy identifying the significant benefits and a thorough understanding of the heritage implications. This combined with difficult party walls negotiations and a lack of construction access meant that the detailed design had to incorporate a proposed construction methodology.