Hitchin Courtyards
Tigg Coll have summitted for planning a scheme that reimagines a long, linear site in Hitchin town centre. The existing site is dominated by a large double storey Carpark and an underused and outdated 1960s neo Victorian building facing on to the historic high street.
Our goal was to reimagine this complex site to create a new sense of urbanism in the town centre, centred around the needs of residents and users. At the heart of the design is a series of courtyards, surrounded by homes and pedestrian gardens
Comprising a total of 44 new apartments and a contemporary high street building, the project aims to provide high-quality, modern apartments while preserving the historic market town’s character. This is achieved through an architectural design that arranges residential blocks around three inner courtyards, reflecting the historical presence of courtyards.
These courtyards optimise the site’s long and narrow dimensions, maximising space and light while providing residents with a sense of privacy. Serving as communal gathering spaces, each courtyard features unique landscaping. Balconies and main windows of the apartments face inward towards these courtyards, creating a private and serene living environment.
The building consists of a series of residential blocks with pitched clay tile roofs that mirror Hitchin’s varied roofline. Smaller gabled rows link the main blocks, defining and separating the individual courtyards. The design incorporates a podium deck aligned with the site’s natural slope, accommodating parking facilities and a retail unit at the High Street level beneath, without compromising green space for the residents.
Replacing the pastiche 1960s Woolworths shopfront, the high street facade features a modern design that is sympathetic to the historic context. It includes a glazed shopfront reminiscent of historic cabinet windows and an arched entrance to the residential area, echoing the prominent carriageways along the street. The residential facade above culminates in a set-back mansard roof with dormer windows, maintaining the strong horizontal language and scale of the high street.
The project thoughtfully balances modern living amenities with a deep respect for the historical and cultural context of Hitchin, enhancing the area’s urban fabric while providing vibrant communal and green spaces for residents.
We believe our approach and vision for a more human centric approach to town centre living could be in many ways replicated in other opportunity sites with in Hitchin Town centre where the car ( at least over the last 50 years) had evidently dominated how Hitchin developed in the second half of the 20th century. The benefits, we believe, will bring vitality to these historic high streets and help sustain it for the future.
