Clad in a dark brown brick, the existing building is a monolithic three-storey building, which was originally designed as a supermarket at street level with car parking below facing onto the river, with mixed uses distributed in the other areas. The building is still home to a variety of uses including retail, offices, nightclub and a pub. Five new commercial restaurants and space for six independent ‘pocket’ units have been carved out from the original carpark, set within a rusticated portland stone plinth which wraps around the riverside level from the pedestrianised ramp to the north and into Bishops Hall to the south. The choice of stone echoes the listed bridge structure whilst reinforcing the civic nature of the location.

In this first phase Haworth Tompkins have capitalised on the potential of this special setting by re-orientating the building to face the river, and improving connections from the town centre to the east. These works have served to re-establish the ‘Riverside’ as a destination prior to the renovation of the rest of the building, and will allow the existing leases for the other tenants in the upper levels to run their natural course.