Terence O’Rourke was appointed by Care South in March 2013 to provide planning and heritage advice on plans to replace the former 23 bed St. Ives Care Home at Ashley Heath near Ringwood, with a 60 bed care home, 14 close care apartments and four close care cottages together with a new vehicular access into the site.
Terence O’Rourke engaged in pre-application discussions with East Dorset District Council over draft plans, and subsequently appointed a range of consultants to deal with landscape, ecology, flood risk, tree, transportation, energy, noise and lighting issues. Using the results of baseline surveys and feedback from a public exhibition, the team worked closely with architects Carless & Adams Partnership to devise a site layout that:
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Met Care South’s commercial requirements to deliver a 21st century care facility offering specialist nursing, residential and dementia care set in an attractive sylvan setting
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Met regulatory care standards
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Would facilitate a significant level of interaction between residents on site
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Enable on-site staff to effectively deliver high quality care services.
Terence O’Rourke specifically demonstrated to East Dorset District Council that:
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The existing care home was not a heritage asset and could be demolished
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The proposed development was a C2 class development that did not attract an affordable housing contribution
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The removal of 65 protected trees to facilitate the development could adequately be mitigated.
Pursuant to the completion of a section 106 legal agreement, planning permission was granted in September 2014. The care facility was constructed by Midas and was officially opened in 2017. The development was one of three finalists in the Best Care Facility category at the Pinders Healthcare Design Awards 2018.
Image courtesy Carless & Adams Partnership
