NOOKS and CORNERS
THE UK’s ubiquitous 1990s “Essex Barn” supermarket architecture has largely gone out of fashion in recent years, replaced by many dreary metal and glass hangar sheds. But it’s apparently still an option when trying to get the go-ahead in a conservation area.
Planners in Hillingdon recently indicated to Lidl that the boxy “Lidl aesthetic” was unlikely to be approved in the attractive surroundings of Ruislip on the outer edge of west London. So plans now submitted have a big barn-style roof with mystifying pointy gable ends along the side.
That should do the trick!
The new supermarket scheme would see the demolition of a large pub, The Orchard, once the watering hole of Battle of Britain pilots from 303 Squadron, based at nearby RAF Northolt.