Pre-Application submitted in New Milton: care home addition for 8 bedrooms and a 32-person lounge

Studio Homer is pleased to extend our architectural design services to extend a 24-bedroom care home with 8 additional bedrooms and a 32-person lounge. The submitted design is intended to effectively frame a sensory garden between the existing conservatory, used as the dining room, and a new conservatory to be used as a lounge area.

The local planning authority (NFDC) recognises that it needs to plan for housing for different groups; Policy CS13(e) outlines this includes providing housing that meets the needs of older people. Without additional bedrooms to bring the care home above the 30-bed threshold, the viability of the care home becomes challenging. Within our application, we will argue to the LPA that our proposal is required to ensure the care home can be sustained long-term.

While there is a need for additional bedrooms, locating additional bedrooms within an already developed location poses several challenges. The proposed design has been led to an extent by the root protection areas of trees on the shared boundary with the neighbouring flats at Kennard Court. The proposed single-story building on low-impact screw foundations aims to mitigate any impact on the surrounding trees. The roof is intended to be a living, green, roof and this has several benefits, including ensuring the outlook from 31 Kennard Road is not diminished.

Internally, private and shared aspects are split into two buildings connected by a glass corridor. In the shared lounge, care has been taken to provide larger communal and smaller more private lounge areas through the use of timber batten screens to separate the seating area without fully enclosing them.