Worcester Care Home

Delivering care accommodation during a global pandemic.

It was a case of entering uncharted territory during our work on a new 74-bed care home with ancillary accommodation in Perdiswell. Prime’s scheme for the former park-and-ride site went before planners at the height of the global Covid pandemic and, with the country in lockdown, it was tricky to establish how this would affect the decision making process.

The scheme was heard at the council’s first ever virtual planning committee meeting done via video conference, and was one of the first remote council meetings in the country. Worcester City Council were receptive to our proposal, appreciating the benefit of having extra care home beds in the system. And once our plans for the 1.82-acre site were given the green light, it gave us reassurance that planning applications could still be approved in this way.

There was much consideration over the form of the plans and accordingly the site layout, which was developed to provide a new development that wasn’t overbearing in relation to existing properties. The plans were set over three floors with the rear reduced to two storeys, while the location of the site, the new building and the position of windows ensured privacy was maintained to the adjacent primary school.

It results in a building designed to high environmental and sustainable standards, going above and beyond current building regulations. These include higher levels of insulation to the building fabric; a higher efficiency combination boiler with gas saver to reduce heating bills; solar PV panels to generate electricity for the home and reduce electricity demand and a low energy lighting system and solar glazing.

The new care home will also see the amount of green space improve significantly from the previous concrete car park, with secure landscaped gardens that offer residents the chance to grow produce from a dedicated greenhouse, while it will also provide additional employment for up to 70 people.