The consented scheme and store design was heavily shaped by local feedback. This ensured a look and style in keeping with Weybridge. The main features of the store and its design are
- A design style directly influenced by local Weybridge buildings and bespoke to Weybridge
- A smaller building (than our first design concepts) with a step-down towards Monument Green at the bottom of Monument Hill and a lowered roof ridge line at the entrance area
- Landscaping and a relationship with Monument Hill where the store is stepped back from Monument Hill and this space used to create a green corridor of trees, landscaping and public seating
- They changed the designs to remove any built structure on the site of the existing Little Garth building and instead this area will be used for customer car parking. Two Silver Birch trees will be planted in this area
The scheme approved by Elmbridge Borough Council in summer 2013 responds both to the historic setting of Weybridge and that also respects the scheme’s position on one of the key approaches into the town, framing Monument Green.
The proposed Monument Hill elevation also reintroduces the historic street pattern, where the original buildings on the Focus DIY site faced onto the street.
At the lower end of the new store building, adjacent to the Job Centre Plus, the foodstore is designed to be in keeping with Monument Green and the Conservation Area. The building then gently rises up the hill to provide a modern yet conservative approach that reflects the adjacent existing contemporary office buildings.
All elevations were revised to help better integrate the scheme into the surrounding townscape, with additional modelling and articulation. In particular the new Monument Hill elevation together with the widened landscaped corridor would provide an enhanced setting and approach to Monument Green.
Building materials used will reflect the predominance of brick and render in Weybridge, with a mix of tiles and slates to the roofs, and will be carefully chosen to reflect the colour, texture and quality of local materials in the town.