OTLEY STREET DEVELOPMENT: RENOVATION AND MODERNISATION OF HISTORIC RETAIL UNITS
These old shops with storage rooms in Skipton town centre were in desperate need of modernisation. We undertook a complete renovation project: staircases were opened up, walls were moved to maximise the available space, the cellar rooms were made usable again, and an extension was added to the back of the building. All the work was sympathetic to the building’s roots and originally features were carefully restored. It is now home to three businesses, each with their own separate access.
PROFESSIONAL PARTNER: Rural Solutions
Hope Technology: R&D extension to old mill site
Back in 1998, we restored and reworked the old North Light Mill in Barnoldswick for Carr Print to create an 80,000 sqft factory space. Our familiarity with the site helped when we were invited back by Hope Technology – a cycle component specialist and current owners of the factory – to build a £500,000 carbon fibre research and development centre. The new project involved a complex reworking of the old mill site including new piled foundations that enabled the R&D centre to be built above a culvert and stream that is used to naturally cool it. All original mill walls were carefully preserved. The R&D centre is a key part of the site now called Hope Mill – a state-of-the-art complex that employs over 100 people and manufactures 65,000 bike components a year. Architect: John Wharton
Alexander’s Bar and Restaurant: complete renovation of Georgian building
This was a complex and challenging restoration, renovation and conversion of a Grade II listed building into an upscale bar and restaurant. Project logistics were demanding due to restricted access because of a High Street location and land locked rear garden. Proactive and innovative approaches had to be taken, including the use of a ‘spider crane’ and canal barge. The project used the canal for its original purpose to transport goods and materials which included the removal of 500 tonnes of spoil and the importation of all materials for the elaborate secret garden from a remote site in Gargrave. The schedule was tight with a timeline of just six months to restore this former shop and cafe and create a sophisticated bar and restaurant with outside garden terraces. The client – Peel Entertainment Group – had a high external and internal spec. The internal fit out was complex and extensive including significant structural alterations, completely new M&E and quality finishes throughout. Sutcliffe, as master contractor, hired and managed all local subcontractors. Alexander’s Bar and Restaurant is a great shop window for Sutcliffe’s ability to work on very challenging heritage sites.
Architect: Groves Architects
Metcalfe Models and Toys: National park location extension of factory/workshops
Located on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this was an extension to a stone-clad steel-frame building previously fabricated by us. Sensitively developed to comply with planning restrictions, the 2,257 sqft extension was clad in timber to enhance its surrounding. Now the company can house all operations under one roof. Architect: John and Jennifer Wharton
