‘Healing a historic town centre’ Located at the northern end of Northallerton High Street, the Rutson Hospital historically occupied a number of fine Listed Buildings with a pleasant rear garden in which patients could exercise and recuperate. Over time, the hospital was extended in a range of poor quality and unsympathetic additions which eroded the historic grain of the site and ultimately led to the hospital moving to new, purpose built facilities just 200 metres away. More recently, the site has been in occasional use by the NHS Trust primarily as a private car park which has contributed little to the character or economy of the town. Our proposals (for Jomast Developments) will regenerate and restore this important part of the town centre with a new mixed-use scheme that includes a 10,000sqft food store (for Marks & Spencer) and a bar/restaurant (for Weatherspoons). Working with the grain of the Town Centre and reflecting the line of the historic burghage plots, the proposals seek to reinstate the street frontage of the urban block and heal this fragmented part of Northallerton. The food store is designed to meet the latest performance and operational requirements of Marks & Spencer but in a building that blends the best of the old with a contemporary character that is both of its time and its place. A series of linear forms reflect the grain of the adjacent High Street and step up and down in height to mitigate the scale of the development. Buildings are clad in varied, tumbled brick laid in a Flemish bond with areas of extended and extracted detailing to provide ventilation to plant areas and areas of visual interest in key locations. The bar/restaurant occupies the existing Listed Buildings which front the High Street, bringing back into use properties that have been vacant for over a decade and providing greater choice for local residents and visitors. Close collaboration with the Conservation Officer has resulted in a sensitive scheme that retains the character and fabric of these fine buildings and once again exposes the rear elevations within a new external courtyard. This bold yet sensitive scheme reflects the rich heritage of Northallerton but in an overtly contemporary form that meets the need of modern occupiers and will transform this important gateway into the Town Centre.