Tarporley High Street Archives

We are currently working on a very exciting development in the heart of the village of Tarporley. This combined residential and retail development is very different from the usual CB Homes project but is very local to us, being only a two minute drive from our headquarters.

High Street development in Tarporley

The Blagg’s Court development is located on Tarporley’s beautiful high street. It is just over the road from the Swan pub, and within the village’s conservation area. For CB Homes, this was a very rare opportunity to acquire a site with development potential in this highly sought after village.

Blagg’s Court renovation and conversion

Blagg’s Court consists of a renovation of a ground floor retail unit, the conversion of the two storey flat above it into two flats and the re-development of outbuildings behind the shop into two houses. The building that fronts the high street and contains the shop and the flats is Grade Two listed. The outbuildings to the rear that have served the shop and back onto neighbouring properties were constructed in the 1970s.

The property had been in the same family ownership since 1941. Firstly as a family home and sweetshop, followed by the family electrical business of Blagg Bros and then, from the early 1980’s until late 2020, J.Blagg & Sons. When the vendor began looking at selling options, CB Homes was recommended to them by a friend.

Planning application for mixed use Tarporley development

After in-depth discussions with the vendor to assess the site’s potential, our team submitted a planning application, with the agreement that we would buy the site if planning could be granted.

For the design, which we knew would throw up some intricate challenges, we instructed Russell Baker, an architect who has designed multiple building projects for us.

Listed building in conservation area

The listed building has a long heritage within the Tarporley community so it was important for us to engage actively, such as meeting with the Parish Council and provide detailed drawings to show our vision for the proposed development.

The retail unit had to be kept in order to meet planning requirements for the busy high street. We were very keen to ensure that the retail unit would be let to a shop that the community really wanted so, after carrying out a survey among local people, it was decided that a small café and florist would be a very positive contribution.

A design challenge

Getting planning permission for a scheme like this is a massive challenge, owing to the building fronting the high street being listed, and the whole development being in Tarporley’s conservation area.

The conservation officer initially did not want any changes made to the large bay window and entrance at the front of the shop. We wanted to create two entrances from the high street so that the access to the flats above the shop would be separate to the access to the shop itself.

After searching through the archives and old photographs supplied by the vendor, we discovered that there in the past, some time in the 60s or 70s, there had actually been two entrances. This meant that our new design, with two far more attractive, separate entrances, could be passed as satisfactory by the conservation officer, as it would match a previous incarnation.

It took nine months to get planning permission for the two flats, two houses and the shop. The planning officer really liked our final design and did not want us to make any significant changes, apart from slight adjustments regarding the windows design.

Keep an eye on our blog and social media for further updates to this exciting mixed use development.

Find out more about the beautiful apartments and houses for sale here.

Quality street

Tarporley is a village in Cheshire West and Chester that has earned a considerable reputation for high quality – both of living and in terms of available amenities. The main street looks very much like it did a hundred years ago. Over the years it has lost none of its traditional charm, which is part of what makes it so popular with visitors and locals alike. The street is dominated by some memorable listed buildings. These include Tarporley Market Hall and the former coaching inn, The Swan Hotel, both of which date from the eighteenth century. And just off the main street you can also see St Helen’s Church, the earliest parts of which date from the fifteenth century. In this quintessentially English high street setting are many superb independent shops demanding to be explored.

Food for thought

When it comes to eating and drinking out, you’re also spoilt for choice. The village has its fair share of public houses – including The Rising Sun public house and The Swan Hotel. Both of these have undergone extensive refurbishments in the last few years – and food options providing everything from take-away fast food to high-end cuisine. Restaurant and café-wise, you can choose from Ginger and Pickles Bakehouse, boutique beer and food at the Little Tap, or Latte Da opposite the Old Fire Station and Chocolate Shop (which has its own café too). You can also enjoy contemporary restaurants like No. 32 Tarporley and The Coast, all of which have a great rep for quality and service. The wide range of options make the choice of where to eat even trickier.

Fashionably popular

The village is very well served with an array of excellent shops and boutiques, from fashion to food. There are the usual suspects you’d expect to see – a Spar with filling station, a well-stocked Co-op on the main street. There’s also a plethora of high-end independent clothes, homewares and gift shops too. The range of high-quality clothing shops include everything from popular fashion to traditional country wear. Thanks to its enviable mixture of choice and quality, Tarporley as a place continues to attract new residents and visitors, and its unique, welcoming high street continues to thrive.