Colchester and East Essex Co-operative Society asked us to propose a strategy to maximise the value of two redundant retail buildings in the heart of Colchester’s town centre.

Drawing upon our knowledge of the local retail property sector, we worked closely with the Society to finalise and then implement a plan of investment and development.

Key to this was Churchmanor’s purchase of one of the buildings which provided the Society with the funds to retain and develop the second building.

Sensitive to the history and heritage of the conservation area our proposal dealt sympathetically with constraints such as the remains of a Roman road beneath part of the proposed new building.

We were able to create 40,000sqft of new retail space behind an original façade creating a strategic investment for the Society, plus a separate 20,000sqft investment.