Ramsgate Shopfront Area Design Guide
Ramsgate Shopfront Area Design Guide
Ramsgate is one of the UK’s most significant coastal towns, at one time more popular than Brighton as a holiday destination for the great and good. Its incredibly rich built heritage contrasts with the economic challenges faced by the town in recent decades, a story shared by many of the UK’s coastal communities.
In 2022 we were asked to prepare a SPD document relating to Ramsgate’s historic shopfronts. The document sought to help achieve good shopfront design which benefits shoppers and traders; to advise traders and designers of the planning consents and licenses which may be required for works to shopfronts; and to help to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of Thanet’s conservation areas and the special interest of its listed buildings.
We established eight key principles to achieve a well-designed shopfront, ranging from methods to preserve and enhance the character of the host building and streetscape, to enabling secure access for all and that the use of any shop forecourt should be complementary to the host building.
The completed guide will be used by all those involved in the process of designing, consenting and executing changes to shopfronts. This includes traders, building owners and designers and local planning authority (Thanet District Council).
Client: Thanet District Council