Porthaven Care Homes sought to develop and operate a new care home at the site of a former, locally listed fire station, with 75-bedrooms providing residential, nursing, dementia and respite care.

The site sits at a prominent location in the Great Holm area of Milton Keynes. The design of the building had to both respond to an original Milton Keynes masterplan grid-square corner location whilst respecting the amenity of neighbouring properties.

Following successfully delivering planning permission for Porthaven Care Homes on other projects, we provided planning strategy advice to our client including due diligence to assist with the acquisition of the site. We then undertook extensive pre-application discussions with the Local Planning Authority, Parish Council and local residents to help deliver a proposal that was well received.

The planning application was approved under delegated powers, with minimal pre-commencement conditions. We successfully discharged these to enable a timely commencement of construction.

The planning permission was subject to a S.106 Agreement. We successfully negotiated with the Council’s Public Art Officer to enable an interesting alternative to a physical piece of artwork, with Porthaven having the option to run workshops for their residents.

As part of the planning application we also produced and submitted a Health Impact Assessment.

One of the key issues to overcome was the proposed listing of the former fire station as a non-designated heritage asset. We worked closely with a heritage consultant and the Council’s Heritage Officer to ensure sufficient recording of the building was undertaken to enable its demolition.

We were proud to secure planning permission for the development that will help meeting the specialist housing needs of senior local residents. Moreover, it is always enjoyable to work with a client who takes such care in ensuring every aspect of their care homes provided the best quality of life for their residents.