Cambridge based Freeland Rees Roberts Architects have announced that planning permission has been granted for the redevelopment of part of the historic town centre of Diss, Norfolk. The proposed scheme in the King’s Head Yard, off Mere Street, is a single story restaurant, with kitchen, toilets and storage, which will face, and take advantage of, panoramic views over the six acre lake, the Mere. The plans also include enhancing the appearance of the eastern banks and opening up public access to the water’s edge. Currently an unloved private pay and display car park and service access to the backs of local businesses, the scheme’s objectives are to revitalise the town, open up public access to the water’s edge and to ameliorate both the eastern banks of the Mere and the general attraction of the town centre. Client, Tacolneston Estate Ltd, the Developer, is in discussions with Italian restaurant chain, Prezzo, about leasing the new building.

The proposal is of a modest scale (352m2 and 87m2 of recycling facilities for the restaurant) in relation to the mass and height of the buildings located behind it when viewed from across the Mere. The curved profile of the south west elevation presents itself to the Mere and addresses the new ‘public’ water’s edge without forming a boundary between the water’s edge and the rest of the town. The roof rises from low level – relating to the existing accommodation at the rear of Mere Street – to its highest point at the waterfront with an overhanging canopy. Thus the drama of the building is presented to the waterfront but recedes both in height and width. It has a sedum roof and thereby presents a gentle green slope to the properties to the North.

Scheme Architect and Director of Freeland Rees Roberts Architects, Graham Riley, commented: “The current perception of the town centre and especially Mere Street is that the town lacks amenities such as pavement cafes and bars catering to the needs of the residents and visitors. There are references to Diss being a ghost town in the evenings, signifying a lack of activity in the town centre. Mere Street is perceived to be outdated and in need of modernisation. The street totally lacks social vibrancy except on market days and the new scheme will provide a valuable, contemporary outdoor recreation space in the heart of Diss. It is our intention to inspire the ‘rediscovery’ of the eastern banks of the Mere encouraging both enjoyment and a sense of ownership of these forgotten areas for the people of Diss for which we have had full support from the Town Council.”

Mr Riley continued: “Great efforts have been made to create a subtle, contemporary building which is a positive contribution of its time to the long tradition of architecture in Diss. Compared to the immediate surrounding buildings its presence is underplayed in terms of scale, form and material. In response to the gentle shape of the Mere, the building was conceived as a curved plane, clad in untreated timber, with steel frame structure. The timber will weather naturally with time and blend with the pattern of trees thus integrating well with the character of the Mere water front. The scheme is unobtrusive and understated in its setting but provides a strong and inviting visual connection to the lake and beyond. In a shift to the usual approach of building around the Mere the proposal is to face the Mere and take advantage of the now clean and highly desirable aspect of the lake. The scheme is set back from the edge to free up an area which can form part of the future public access along the eastern banks of the Mere.”

Client, Joe Darrell, Director of Tacolneston Estate Ltd, said: “The area around the Mere is designated as an ‘Important Space’. in the ‘Individual Settlement Proposals – Diss’ under the South Norfolk Local Plan, Policy DIS 121 acknowledges the potential of enhancing the ‘appearance of the eastern banks and the backland behind the properties facing Mere Street between the Mere’s Mouth and the King’s Head Yard car park and to improve public access …’ and it further adds that ‘The area would benefit from a co-ordinated scheme of improvements aimed at tidying backland areas and banks as well as improving public access. Our scheme certainly achieves these proposals.”

Mr Darrell concluded: “The services for the establishment will be at the rear of the building away from the Mere front. This, along with the other existing uses on the site, provides the opportunity for a mixture of use leading to a diversity of visitors and activities in the yard keeping it lively through the day and into the evening. The scale of the Kings Head Yard, with its ‘back of house’ yet Mere frontage aspect, gives it an air of a secret place. Similar urban yards have been successfully developed in cities throughout the country giving visitors a sense of discovery and special ownership. Cafes and bars, curious shops and small businesses tend to thrive in such areas.”

There is a distinct lack of decent public access and enjoyment of the Mere. Now that the Mere is clean and no longer used for sewage, there is a credible argument that this should happen. In recent years some landscaping has been carried out in the Mere area and a fountain erected but none that provides additional, easy public access to the banks of the Mere. At the southern end there is a café, boardwalk and park area all fronting the Mere.

Diss is the third town in England to join the CittaSlow (European-led project) to promote local food and keep fast cars out and generally work to better the environment. In essence it is to promote pavement cafes, safe pedestrian access and good food.

The scheme has a number of sustainable features, including the sedum roof which will attenuate rain-fall reducing the environmental impact of the new building. Sedums change with the season and will tone the building with the landscape across the Mere. The scheme is intended to be wrapped in untreated timber from sustainable sources which will weather naturally to a silvery sheen. The vertical boarding is punctuated by verdigreed copper to the steels structure which set a rhythm running around the façade and they, in turn are capped by the sloping curving soffit. A blockwork skin internally achieves a high thermal mass and the north face of the proposal is to be built in masonry and blockwork. It is broken into bays by the steel structure and clad in render and coloured cement-fibre vertical boards to match the timber and suit requirements for non-combustible materials on the boundary. This façade will retain some of the warmth and human scale addressed at the front of the building, as it may form part of a circular route between the yards and Mere Street in the future.

The scheme discourages use of private transport and encourages ‘green’ technology. It is proposed to make sensible use of energy management and harnessing natural resources; the storm water attenuation systems and the sedum roof will help to control the runoff water. The building mass will act as a heat sink and assist in temperature control along with solar heat gain and external shading being an integral part of the building.

The landscaping proposals include planting a line of silver birch trees to create a promenade at the edge of the Mere and removing an overgrown leylandii hedge to open up views to the Mere and the town over the new building. The ingress to the Yard will be tarmac with rolled in gravel punctuated in places with lines of brick setts. The Mere front will be edged in permeable paving which will wrap around the front of the building with a terrace adjacent to the proposed restaurant, stepping down to the water’s edge. As well as creating a distinct frontage for walks, this allows for informal outdoor seating separate to the restaurant, as well as tables and chairs associated with the restaurant itself.

There is no parking proposed at the edge of the Mere, maintaining a clear visual connection to the water and allowing a public space at the Mere’s edge. Consideration has been given to the planned pedestrianisation of the town centre and desire to encourage the use of public transport when planning the vehicle provisions. The proposal enhances the pedestrian access to the Mere front offering links between Kings Head Yard with Hales Yard and creating a through route from the Market Place via the Yards and out to the Mere Street. Introducing mixed use and recreation into these areas mean they are brighter and safer for pedestrians throughout the day and night.

It is proposed to provide level access to the restaurant from the southern elevation and ramps in association with the stepped terrace to the Mere frontage. Surface treatment is proposed to be gravel rolled in tarmac for easy wheelchair movements.

The scheme is due for completion in late 2009.

Email: carri@carismacommunications.co.uk