Grove Cottage
Community
Pardon Chambers Architects were invited by the board of trustees to design, and submit for planning permission, a new nursery and community centre for children and adults with learning disabilities, on the site of the existing Mencap centre.
Our services included hosting community drop-in sessions to develop the brief, early design co-ordination with structure and services, fire strategy development responding to the specific needs of this community, sunlight and daylight analysis, Rights of Light analysis with others. The proposal received planning permission in November 2022.
Our proposal for a simple three storey red brick building would provide:
- A calm, legible, predictable and inclusive environment tailored for the needs of the Grove Cottage neurodiverse community
- A dedicated space for the Ofsted registered nursery with direct access to a new, larger garden
- A separate activity space for older children and adults with access to a training kitchen and multisensory space
- New accessible staff offices to allow flexible/hybrid working.
- A clear destination on a prominent corner site, advertising Grove Cottage’s presence within the wider community.
