Following a competitive tender and interview process, NVB were appointed to deliver a new Visitor Centre for this extremely significant ecological and historic site. The project was made even more strategic given the close proximity of the Olympic sailing venue and the need for the project to be completed prior to this date. Our brief was to modify the existing scheme to ensure its success both in terms of tight budgetary constraints and operational requirements, while ensuring that the various stakeholders involved in the project were part of that journey. The scheme relied on various funding streams, not least the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) which NVB was closely involved with at every stage, assisting the client by providing the appropriate support. The form and scale of the proposed extension was broadly in line with the previously submitted and approved scheme, with a traditional roofscape and palette of external materials enclosing a completely new Visitor Centre. The new facilities include public toilets, a cafe, an interpretation centre and a learning space, all focused around the extraordinary landscape, ecology and history of the Fleet and Chesil Beach.