In partnership with Lichfield District Council we’re creating a natural extension to Lichfield town centre to encourage shoppers to spend more time in this historic town. The design demonstrates how we are able to introduce contemporary architecture into a sensitive setting whilst maintaining the support of the community, retailers and the local authority. High street retailing is a recreational rather than a practical exercise and the balance of town centre development needs to focus on the leisure experience. The city grain of Lichfield is made up of a number of streets that run west – east and tie into two north south streets, forming a ladder diagram, established by Roger de Clinton in the 12th century and which survives today. We have approached the site with a proposal that can be delivered incrementally over time, securing the developer and the city early certainty and a city centre scheme that can continue to grow and develop over time. A design principle that runs throughout is to try and deliver modern retail units that attract new retailers to Lichfield without losing the character of the city centre. The shopping street should feel like an extension of the existing urban grain. The design should be confident and distinct but also respectful to its context and the rich architectural heritage of Lichfield. We have looked at the context of the city, the scale of buildings and the number of individual characters that make up each shopping street. These studies have informed the massing, repetition and complexity in the proposals. Elevations step and rise to accentuate the topography of the site. Buildings are broken into villas and terraces with pitch roofs, gables and parapets. The design strikes a balance between contemporary architecture liked by retailers and a conservative approach which is sensitive to the historic city and allows the two to sit comfortably together.