New NHS Building Looking Great!

This time last year, we obtained planning permission on behalf of the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust for a single storey extension to Cherry Orchard House, the external refurbishment of this locally listed building, and associated works and landscaping, including car parking at their Hospital Street site in Tamworth.

The site had many planning constraints, including the locally listed building, its Conservation Area designation, Tree Preservation Orders, the site’s suitability for protected species, and potential archaeological remains.

It was great to revisit the site a year later and see it back in active use after nearly 10 years! When it was closed, the site and building had started to appear rundown, becoming a target for anti-social behaviour. The Council’s draft Conservation Area Management Plan included concerns over the condition of the site and its boundary treatments, and how these were being affected by its vacancy.

The planning permission we obtained facilitated the recommissioning of the site, refurbishing the locally listed building to allow it to be brought back into use, as well as supporting the delivery of the Trust’s community mental health service for Tamworth, by allowing allied teams to work alongside each other more effectively and efficiently. The offices within Cherry Orchard House have been upgraded and the contemporary extension is used as consulting rooms linked to the main house via a glazed link, which also facilitates disabled access to both parts of the site. The existing car parking in the northern section of the site has been formalised and the wider site landscaped, including minor alterations and repairs to the important boundary walls. The site’s biodiversity has been improved through the provision of bat boxes and sparrow nest boxes, alongside the suitable landscaping of the site with pollinating plants.

We are delighted to have been involved in this important project for Tamworth and to see this NHS site in use and looking so good!