Seddon delivered the remodel and refurbishment of the Grade II listed Shire Hall in Stafford, this historic landmark building erected in 1790 was remodelled and turned into an Enterprise Centre for local young businesses to use.
Shire Hall was vacated by the Crown Court in 1991 and was restored for use as an Art gallery. However, in December 2021 we were appointed to undertake the extensive refurbishment of the property, works included existing library, office space and former butter market including the remodelling of the rear courtyard.
The building was re-purposed to create a high quality, modern and market responsive flexible working environment to attract digitally focused and professional services business tenants.
The remodel consisted of 21 offices suites along with high quality meeting spaces, breakout areas, welfare facilities and the reception area.
Seddon had to ensure the restoration and retention of listed features which included the refurbishment of the atrium, installing magnificent feature lighting and the instatement of a lift that services three floors.
During the construction period to help minimise our environmental impact, we employed a high level of local labour, shared and used our fleet of low emission vehicles.
As Shire Hall is Grade II listed, a collaborative approach was needed to liaise with conservation officers throughout the works. Close collaboration was also required with the Staffordshire County Councils Design team to assist with surveys and investigative works to conclude the design.
Shire Hall was delivered on time and within budget whilst maintaining the health and safety of the workforce, by collaborative planning and an increased level of subcontractor engagement throughout the project, upheld with additional tool box talks and regular progress meetings.
The enterprise centre is aimed at young businesses that do not require such big spaces, with the hope that by providing the right size accomodation the firms can be nurtured to the stage that they will be well equipped to face the full rigours of the business world. Similar schemes have proved successful in reducing the failure rate of firms compared on average.
