Bailey Partnership provided a full multi-disciplinary service for this regeneration of a former hospital site for a community and economic development trust in partnership with the local authority. The project comprised site clearance of the majority of buildings, new roads and infrastructure, and 34 high quality, speculative light industrial and office start up and business units.

A large hospital building was retained as part of the masterplan and converted to form a Healthy Living Centre which houses over 40 partner agencies including the Primary Care Trust, Public Health Development Unit and Early Years Inclusion. The Centre facilities include a multi-purpose hall and meeting rooms, office space, a suite of consulting rooms and a community café.

The project won the Abercrombie Architecture Award for community design. The scheme has been heralded by the Development Trust Association as a model of excellence, and used for reference by similar Trusts nationally. The project featured in the government Quirk Report as a flagship design and has been visited by both Harriet Harman MP and James Purnell MP. The practice is proud of how design vision can play a major role in the viability and success of regeneration projects.

In addition to the normal duties required of a design team Bailey Partnership undertook full community consultation in order to establish the brief, particularly in respect of the Healthy Living Centre and as part of the design development process.  As a testament to the design every one of the uses put forward by members of the community is capable of being accommodated on a sessional basis within the Healthy Living Centre.

A particular challenge was that the scheme, including the extensive demolition works, had to be implemented around the fully operational Child Development Centre and Dentistry facilities which remain in buildings in the heart of the site.

Due to the existing site users and various funding streams the project was procured under four separate contracts: demolition works, infrastructure and enabling works, the business park and the Healthy Living Centre.