Northdown Road in Margate is an exceptional case of Conservation Area designation, being an area of significant national poverty and substantial occupation by migrant business owners. On its doorstep, a refugee and conservation centre for Cliftonville encourages further the integration of refugees in Margate both practically and socially. The facility helps those seeking refugee status and teaches the conservation skills needed for Northdown Road’s historic shopfronts.

Through the adaptive reuse of Pettman’s Depository in Cliftonville, the centre expands the work of the current occupiers Resort Studios in their engagement with the community and the arts, providing workshops and studios for Margate's emerging artists. A sensitive approach to the existing fabric preserves the exterior red brick façade and structure, which are paired with new corten steel interventions and mezzanines. A new public realm extends the proposal to Northdown Road, which provides an elevated walkway and open air cinema for the celebration of local films. Views towards the high street and the sea are framed, which give a sense of place and nostalgia to the landscape, and which refugees have crossed to reach their new home and community.