Change of Use & Retrofit of Listed Building in Exeter

Grade II Listed Georgian Townhouses | Southernhay, Exeter

Change of use from offices and basement restaurant, to mixed use residential apartments combined with offices and restaurant.

Private Developer  Client

Budget £1.2 million

Project Description:

Living Space Architects secured planning and Listed Building Consent for the retrofit and change of use of three late 18th-century Georgian townhouses on Southernhay, Exeter. Previously used as offices, the buildings were sensitively adapted into a mixed-use scheme comprising upgraded office space, high-quality residential apartments, and the retained Rendezvous Restaurant at basement level.

Key interventions included:

• Internal layout reconfiguration and improved access arrangements
• Rear extension to create a new two-storey apartment
• Installation of new kitchens and bathrooms
• Upgraded services and breathable insulation to improve thermal performance
• Insertion of a new steel structure to support revised layouts
• Repair, refurbishment, and selective replacement of historic windows

Located on the east side of Southernhay—a historic route skirting the Roman city wall—the buildings are described as “well-preserved examples of their type.” Despite previous 19th-century alterations, they required significant upgrades to remain economically viable. Our conservation-led approach, combined with a robust mixed-use strategy, enabled us to achieve planning approval where earlier applications had been unsuccessful.