Music House Lane, Norwich

Formerly a Victorian school, the site retains sections of the original wall and sits within a Conservation Area, adjacent to a Grade II listed church and a listed boundary wall, making it highly sensitive in heritage terms.

Although the site is level, it is cut into a steep slope. The adjacent listed wall’s minimal foundations presented engineering challenges. Key design constraints included proximity to heritage assets, preserving views of the church and protecting nearby trees.

As the dwellings were intended for market sale it was a priority to provide a parking space for each unit, especially given the high demand for parking in the city centre. To accommodate this, the existing site access had to be used, which required the dwellings to be arranged perpendicular to the road, an orientation that is deviates from conventional layouts.