The local council on the picturesque island of St. Agnes, the most southern of the islands which lie just off the coast of Cornwall, has recently granted planning permission to renovate and extend the original Bible Christian Chapel as part of a project to improve facilities for the island’s community centre.

Much of the island is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a number of rare plants growing on the heaths and grassland that make up the landscape. As such, stringent restrictions are in place to ensure that any building or renovation work is in keeping with the original landscape.

The proposed complete refurbishment of the chapel and installation of a balcony and mezzanine floor will increase the useable space in the original building. At the same time as agreeing the renovation, the council also passed plans for a new building to be erected alongside, which will include six workshops for local businesses. The proposed new building meets strict criteria, having been designed to mirror the architecture of the original chapel.

The installation of a mezzanine flooring level in the original chapel will create an extra multi-purpose space for community events whilst retaining the façade of the building and the workshops in the new building will give local business a boost.

A fabulous home has recently come onto the market in Lancashire which demonstrates the stunning effect sympathetically installed mezzanine flooring can make to a property. Catterall Hall Barn at Chingle St. John near Preston has a luxury master bedroom, complete with a dressing room, built-in wardrobe and state-of-the-art en suite, all situated on the mezzanine floor which is accessed from an elegant galleried landing.

Many of the attractive original architectural features of the property have been retained, giving an overall impression of space and light, from the beamed ceiling in the double height entrance hall to the ornamental open fireplace in the spacious lounge. An impressive combined kitchen and dining room boasts a range of integrated appliances and custom made units alongside a traditional Aga.

The most impressive aspect of the house has to be the Gothic-themed garden room which overlooks the extensive grounds, which comprise 13 acres of formal gardens, patios, terraces and lakes, both fishing and ornamental. The house is surrounded by parkland and paddocks which can be used for keeping livestock.

Also included in the sale is a self-contained cottage which is accessed by a corridor from the main house, as well as a number of other outbuildings including a large garage, a stable block and substantial storage facilities.

The village of Whitehead, about 20 miles from Belfast, secured funding from a local pressure group formed to generate and support businesses in the area, Generating Rural Opportunities Within South Antrim (GROW), which made a grant of £117,031. GROW receives money from the Northern Ireland Rural Development programme, which itself receives some money from the EU.

The community centre was built in the 1950s as a cinema and was bought by the local people in the 1970s, undergoing several facelifts along the way to accommodate the changing needs of the community.

The latest upgrade includes extra meeting rooms and a new kitchen, while the construction of a mezzanine flooring level has resulted in a much better use of space, increasing the available storage area and allowing the installation of new toilets.

The front entrance has been given a complete facelift, with thorough cleaning and maintenance of some of the original architectural features, while clever use of the original main hall has resulted in a much more flexible use of the space.

The Community Centre is very well used, as a venue for various youth groups and the regular home of a pre-school group, a retirement club, the local WI and several different interest clubs, including educational lectures and exercise classes. It is also a popular venue for private parties and social events.

Founded in 1981 by friends David Makin and John Wardle with a shop in Bury, the business has grown to be one of the most well-known names in sports retail, opening shops in Manchester’s Arndale Centre in 1983 and in the West End’s Oxford Street in 1989.

Being listed on the London Stock Exchange in the mid-90s, the company went from strength to strength, buying 200 Blacks Leisure stores in 2002 and a further 70 stores when Allsports went into administration in 2005.

Although the founding friends sold their shares to Pentland Group in 2005, the company name has been retained. Since then, the company has bought the fashion chain Bank Stores, which retail goods including Adidas Originals, Henleys and Firetrap.

The rapid expansion that the business has enjoyed during the last few years had left it in need of larger premises. Prior to the warehouse going into full commercial operation, the equipment used for sorting products has been undergoing rigorous tests for several weeks. Inbound deliveries to the distribution centre will commence at the end of April, with a fully integrated operation in place by the end of June.

The Hair Show was organised by the Care, Foundation Learning & Service Industries department to launch the new hairdressing and beauty salons which have just opened on the mezzanine flooring level at the campus on Pelham Street. An exhibition of students’ work was on display and cutting the ribbon as the main guest of honour was Keith Turner from Vidal Sassoon. Other guests included the Mayor of Brighton and Hove and the Vice Principal of the College.

Offering a wide range of vocational education and training, City College Brighton and Hove is located in the centre of Brighton and has recently been assessed by Ofsted as an outstanding college in many key areas.

The state-of-the-art ‘City Revival’ salons on the mezzanine floor are in addition to a number of salons on the ninth and tenth floors of the College’s Pelham Street campus. Situated in a highly visible position and easily accessible to visitors, the new salons are intended as a showcase for the services the College provides, both to students and the wider public.

The new salons will be offering a full range of hair and beauty treatments to the public at very competitive prices, allowing the students to gain valuable commercial expertise while being fully supervised and guided. They will also allow clients to have a professional treatment at a fraction of the usual price.

Twenty-four local businesses have been awarded a total of £84,000 to date, with the money being used for a variety of projects, including the installation of mezzanine floors to increase useable space and the purchase of equipment.

The grants, which are awarded by the Shropshire and Herefordshire Business Enterprise Fund, have created sixteen new full-time jobs and eight new businesses have been started up by sole traders.

With a total of £1.1 million available, local entrepreneurs are being invited to apply for a grant of up to £1,500 for a business which has been established for less than nine months, while longer established businesses have a £5,000 limit. The current round of funding is available until the end of April.

In further good news for the local economy, another scheme has been announced by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership worth 1.5 million, specifically to help small businesses and new business ventures across Shropshire, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin. As part of the scheme, the Marches Redundant Building Grant Scheme will be awarding grants to small businesses to refurbish buildings which are derelict at the moment.

Bringing disused buildings back into productive use and space-saving alterations are two of the most cost-effective ways of utilising all available space, with builders reporting that the innovative installation and use of mezzanine flooring is one of the most popular options.

Situated near Helmsley with stunning views across the Yorkshire countryside, the cottage had been neglected for many years when Matthew and Louise Dwyer were house hunting 16 years ago.

Despite the condition of the property, the Dwyers could see the potential for conversion and moved in with their four young daughters.

Over the years, a great deal of DIY plastering, tiling and decorating has been done by the Dwyers themselves and the property has benefited from the building of bedrooms in the loft to accommodate their growing family, as well as a new kitchen extension.

An eclectic mix of old, handmade and new furniture and fittings, the large, light kitchen is now the hub of the house and has the added benefit of a mezzanine flooring area which was carefully designed by Louise to be used variously as a guest room, music room and office as required.

Both the Dwyers are trained artists, Matthew as a blacksmith and Louise in fine arts, specialising in jewellery. Much of the contemporary art on display around their home is their own work, joined by pieces of sculpture and paintings by other local craftsmen.

The Dwyers also opened their own business six years ago in Helmsley, selling textiles, glass and ceramics, as well as showcasing their own work.

Used from 1976 to 1996 as the outdoor location for the TV soap Emmerdale, the village of Esholt nestles in the rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Dales. At the time Mr. Stakes purchased the Grade 2 listed building for £150,000 in 2000, it had been reduced to an external structure and some feeding troughs.
Originally intending to merely maximise the living and sleeping space in order to rent out the barn as a holiday property, Mr. Stakes spent £80,000 on loft insulation, installing a full first floor and a mezzanine floor level to provide an additional sleeping area. He also installed a traditional kitchen and a rustic staircase made of stone and timber, with an oak floor to blend with the original beams and stonework which he left exposed.

Making the decision to settle permanently in Esholt, further refurbishment of the property was necessary to turn the holiday let into a luxury home. The four ground floor bedrooms were altered to make three en-suite bedrooms and the staircase was further remodelled, using glass to maximise the light and traditional oak to match both the age of the buildings and the other fittings. The mezzanine floor has been converted into an office and the first floor now houses a glamorous living area and state of the art fitted kitchen.

Part of the old Newport Docks, the whole area is under redevelopment to bring the derelict wharves and warehouses back into productive use.

Led by Newport City Council, with funding being secured from a consortium of the Welsh Government, Newport Unlimited, the European Regional Development Fund and the Targeted Match Fund, the 19th century library is just one of the buildings in Pillgwenlly to be refurbished and put to more efficient use.

Keeping the original façade intact, the doors and windows will be replaced, while the lofty ceiling has proved suitable for the installation of mezzanine flooring, a solution many businesses now opt for to extend floor space without the expense of a traditional extension.

As part of the overall project, a number of properties in Commercial Road will also be cleaned and restored, with the outward appearance of the buildings being retained.

The contract for the regeneration project was awarded to a firm of Newport builders, who will be offering two jobs to students presently on a construction skills course at a local training college, and further jobs to two local long-term unemployed people.

A local newspaper launched an appeal in January 2008 to raise £500,000 towards the clinic, which will cost £3 million in total. Named after Maggie Keswick Jencks, a number of cancer centres have been opened across the country after Ms. Jencks, who died from cancer in 1995, pioneered a new style of supporting cancer patients.

Determined to reject the concept of being a victim, Ms. Jencks believed that a facility encompassing a stress clinic, access to psychologists and a common area for patients to meet others in the same position for mutual support would give patients added strength, as they would feel more involved in their treatment. The first Maggie’s Centre opened in 1996 in Edinburgh.

The new centre, which is expected to open in summer 2013, will serve the North East region and includes many of Maggie’s visions, with advice on relaxation and stress-reducing techniques, nutrition workshops, financial advice and psychotherapy.

The centre has been designed around a partly enclosed landscaped courtyard, with counselling rooms in one wing and a kitchen, lounge and library in the other. Stairs from the central library lead up to the mezzanine floor, which has been designed with a solar panel roof. Both the mezzanine floor level and the outside terrace which leads from it are intended as relaxation areas with lush plants and comfortable all-weather furniture.