FEA have recently submitted the third in a series of applications for new works for various hospices across the East Midlands, building on our previous portfolio of work in this specialism. Dove Cottage Day Hospice is located in open countryside in the Vale of Belvoir. FEA have designed an extension to the existing facilities to create a garden room, three treatment rooms and assisted bathroom, plus some re-configuration of the current building. The scheme is intended to complement the atmosphere of the existing hospice, which occupies converted farm buildings, and the wonderful rural setting. In contrast, St. Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is planning to create a ‘hospice within a hospital’ at Grantham, in partnership with the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The accommodation comprises six in-patient beds plus facilities for relatives and clinical staff. The unit aims to combine the best of hospice expertise in palliative care with access to the hospital’s medical facilities and support services. Although the hospice will be located within the fabric of Grantham and District Hospital, the unit will be stand-alone and aims to create a distinctive, welcoming and hopeful atmosphere for patients and relatives. FEA have had a long association with the Nottinghamshire Hospice, having completed the day room in 2008 and the palliative care unit and dining facilities in 2010. Phase 3 comprises the redesign of the gardens, restoring the original rock and water gardens (associated with the Victorian house), installing a new platform lift and creating additional gardens that will be fully accessible to patients and carers. With the assistance of FEA, all three schemes have been submitted for funding under the Department of Health Capital Grants Programme 2012 – funding decisions are expected at the end of March 2013.

FE have assisted Toot Hill School in gaining detailed planning approval for a new teaching block to meet the needs of their growing school population.

The building is to be located on vacant land to the east of the main teaching block adjacent to the existing tennis courts. It is predominantly 2 storeys in scale with a small single storey element to the north west corner.

The scheme has been submitted to the EFA Academies Capital Maintenance Fund 2013-14 and FE have assisted the school in compiling their bid. The school has been designed in line with the current government school blueprint designs and will be on site in August should funding be successful.

Franklin Ellis have just obtained planning consent for a new junior school for Ratcliffe College in Leicestershire.

The Sowden Group commissioned Franklin Ellis to design a site for 100 new homes in at Windmill Road, Loughborough. Bordering the Grand Union canal, the brown-field site offers great waterside views and incorporates areas of existing planting and areas of trees. The local community will benefit from a land parcel which will be offered for community use which could include a hall, associated car parking and an area of park. The new households will consolidate and enhance the existing community.

The challenge for the scheme was to provide a strong sense of place for the new housing, reinstating urban grain of streets and small squares. The scheme is further articulated to provide attractive elevational compositions addressing the internal and external vistas.

The scheme is intended to be an exemplar of urban renewal, following on from the much praised scheme with William Davis at Loughborough Eastern Gateway. A decision is expected in the new year.

After a delay of over a year since planning approval, the new office development for Reeves Wireline Technologies finally commences on site on the 22nd October. Located on the British Gypsum site at East Leake, Reeves Technologies forms part of the Weatherford Group of companies and provides specialist services to the oil and gas industries. The scheme provides Reeves with approximately 1675 sq.m of bespoke office and meeting space over three stories, new reception and ancillary facilities, together with a new two-storey car park. Franklin Ellis led the pre-contract design team and has also provided interior design and landscaping services. The building is being procured under a design and build contract; the main contractor is G.F Tomlinson; the contract value is approximately £3.5 million and the contract period is 40 weeks.

The newly competed Thomas Cook Place housing, designed by FEA and built by William Davis as part of the wider Loughborough Eastern Gateway development, has been praised in a recent HCA article.  The 59 houses and 32 apartments have been designed around Leicestershire’s largest ‘Home Zone’, offering pedestrian and vehicles equal priority on a shared surface.

Councillor Jane Hunt, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Housing, said: “We’re delighted with Thomas Cook Place.  It really looks and feels like it has been designed with the best interests of the residents at heart.  It perfectly complements our Eastern Gateway project which really has breathed new life into Loughborough’s eastern approach.”

Leicester City Councillors yesterday unanimously approved the proposals for a new Asda Superstore, Office building and pedestrian link bridge which will form the beginning of Leicester Science Park development.  FEA have designed the new office development which will hopefully be a catalyst for future developments on the estate.

Franklin Ellis have been invited to be part of Community Solutions Framework.  They are an active investor in community based health, social and local authority services; providing solutions in partnership with NHS Primary Care Trusts, Local Authorities, independent primary care contractors and other community stakeholders.

The solutions are in the form of state-of-the-art community based health and social care accommodation; from multi-use primary care centres to community hospitals, in partnership with both public and private sector clients.

This framework is primarily for work in the Nottinghamshire area, with opportunities in the surrounding Districts.  FE were selected because the client felt that we offered the best blend of experience and knowledge in the 3PD market.  Their intention is for the framework to be an informal arrangement with FE providing architectural support on any particular project, from inception through to completion.

The Tri Sail Website is now live! www.trisailtowers.com has been developed by Popcorn for Cheergrey Properties in collaboration with FEA.