Building Size:
798 sq. mtrs

Start date:
September 2006

Completion date:
June 2007

Project Status:
Completed

Northants, Higham Ferrers Medical Centre

Purpose built development for 6 doctor surgery

Project Situation; 6-Dr surgery to replace outgrown and inadequate existing accommodation with growing patient list

Project brief; To find a site as an alternative to refurbishing and extending their existing Councilowned listed building which would have been an expensive and sub-standard compromise, one which was the only idea available at the time

Project Solution; Ashley House approached the Town Council in respect of the car park at the rear of the property which appeared hardly used. As it turned out, the car park was busy once in a while due to a local Market – we designed a building and redesigned the parking area requiring only a small reduction in the existing number of spaces even with a new surgery in the middle! We then negotiated a long lease through the Town Clerk’s office – more’s the pity that the Council had just spent a significant sum constructing road humps in the car park to discourage skate-boarders who as it turned out relished the more challenging ‘course’

Points of interest; Issues such as relocating the re-cycle bins, allowing for a number of rights of way and wayleaves and complying with the market town’s conservation group requirements were all overcome. The existing surgery building then reverted back to the Council to be refurbished and let as residential, the local pharmacist was moved across the road allowing his former premises to revert to a use more in keeping with its georgian frontage, and we managed to avoid a last minute effort by the planners to incorporate the ancient wall fronting the historic market street as a part of the new building, which would quite literally have ‘rendered’ the project unaffordable.