As work continues at The Yealm, we’d like to take the opportunity to celebrate the talented tradesmen who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to see owner Simon Friend’s ideas and dreams for The Yealm become reality. This month, our focus returns to the beginning of the project with seeing The Yealm come to life with the initial designs by Exeter-based Grainge Architects….
With experience and reputation spanning nearly 30 years, Grainge Architects have a formidable portfolio of practical and imaginative design behind them, so were an obvious choice for designing The Yealm. And with a good working relationship already in place with Simon, Grainge Associate Architect, Peter Harflett, took to creating plans that would bring The Yealm into the 21st century.
“Getting the internal planning to work with all the constraints that are at The Yealm, both spatially and technically, did prove challenging”, explains Peter. But converting the hotel into six, luxury apartments was only part of the overall project. With the building sitting in a sizeable area of land, Peter and Simon worked together to see how they could sensitively make best use of the space available.
Peter continues; “We wanted to get good use out of the land, but not over-develop it, so that it all worked”. Peter submitted the final plans in January 2017 for the main building conversion, a further eight luxury apartments on the Western end of the site, and a single, 3-bedroom house on the Eastern side. But with planning approval in July 2017, came a twist. “We knew we were playing it safe, but we had comments from various sources saying ‘why not be more adventurous?’ – so we changed the plans!”
Getting a sensitive match between new and old is always a challenge, but the revised plans showed a change of style and materials, creating a more contemporary finish. “We wanted something impressive there as much as everyone else” continues Peter. “And after more discussions with locals and planners, we found a design that worked for everyone”.
With the new designs approved in December 2017, groundworks forged ahead. Access to the site, as well as the levels inside, particularly on the West side, made work “interesting”. But as Peter concludes, “There are always challenges, but that’s all part of what keeps it exciting!”. Architecture should speak of its time and of its place, while also creating timelessness. With that in mind, The Yealm is well on its way to starting a new chapter in its history.
Reservations are now being taken off plan. If you’re interested in finding out more, please visit the pricing section of our website or do contact Claire Northmore from Marchand Petit (Newton Ferrers office) on 01752 873311 or email Claire. If you would like to be kept up to date with all the latest news from The Yealm, please register for our regular email newsletters.
