The Becket House redevelopment transforms a vacant former telephone exchange and its underutilised rear site into a comprehensive new residential quarter in Canterbury.
Retaining and repurposing the landmark 1939 building preserves an important piece of local architectural heritage while delivering 42 apartments, complemented by a carefully integrated new neighbourhood of apartment buildings and townhouses to the rear. Together, the proposals bring a prominent brownfield site back into active use, creating a sustainable residential-led development within walking distance of the city centre.
Client
TT Group
Sector
Residential
Location
Canterbury, Kent
Ward
Canterbury City Council
Status
Planning
The architectural approach is rooted in context and continuity. Becket House is sensitively converted through targeted interventions, including upgraded replacement windows and improved sustainability measures, whilst the new-build elements take cues from the site’s varied urban setting. A series of apartment blocks and family townhouses are arranged around a generous central landscape, with building heights carefully stepped to mediate between the scale of Becket House, neighbouring residential streets and nearby heritage assets. The use of varied brick tones, articulated façades and considered massing creates a cohesive architectural language across the whole development.
Landscape is central to the scheme. Extensive communal gardens, play spaces, rain gardens and biodiversity enhancements establish a green heart to the development, while retaining key views through the site and improving connections between New Dover Road and Upper Chantry Lane. Delivering a diverse mix of apartments and family homes, the project balances heritage-led regeneration with contemporary residential design, creating a distinctive and sustainable neighbourhood that responds sensitively to its Canterbury context.
