DLBP successfully obtained full planning permission for a unique care facility at the site on Coburg Crescent in the London Borough of Lambeth in January 2018.
We are delighted to announce that this project has been shortlisted for Planning Permission of the Year at the Planning Awards 2018.
This Resource Centre will serve adults with learning disabilities, including profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), promoting choice and control and fostering a sense of community with the Palace Road Estate. The Resource Centre will provide a day service with therapy spaces, long and short term accommodation, a garden and community facilities to achieve this aspiration which would be expected to create jobs that could benefit local residents, including those with disabilities.
The day service in the Resource Centre will benefit people with PMLD and complex needs. This development is of vital need to the community as the current day service building is over 25 years old and cannot meet the increasing needs of its users. The new facilities at Coburg Crescent will allow the service to support the needs of its users as well as promoting their independence.
The centre includes therapy rooms, supported living accommodation, landscaped areas, a cafe, a community room and a shop which improve the physical, environmental, economic and social well-being of the users, as well as for the wider community in the Palace Road Estate.
People with PMLD have been isolated and marginalised in society. Their care is mostly provided away from their homes, especially where they need residential care or respite support for their families which reduces their ability to choose and control how and where their support is delivered. The new Resource Centre will serve Lambeth residents such as ‘AM’ and ‘PS’. AM is a 66 year old man who has a learning disability, Downs Syndrome, dementia, cerebral atrophy, a mild mitral valve regurgitation, and reduced vision and hearing. PS is a 51 year old woman who has a severe learning disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and uses a wheelchair to mobilise. PS requires support in all domains of life, and without this her well-being would be at critical risk.
By providing the Resource Centre at Lambeth, residents such as AM and PS will receive the continued care and support they need, and the added benefits of a specially designed space will improve their quality of life. The provision of the cafe and shop as an integral part of the development means that service users will have access to training opportunities which may support their chances of gaining employment.
The design of the facility responds to the needs of these service users whilst also supporting integration with the local community, who have been consulted in detail throughout the planning process. The planning challenge has been to make the building affordable, whilst meeting the requirements for sustainability, including being able to demonstrate BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) excellence.
The Resource Centre will reflect Lambeth Council’s commitments to ensure:
People are healthier for longer.
Vulnerable children and adults get support and protection.
Older, disabled and vulnerable people can live independently and have control over their lives.
By achieving this consent, much needed facilities will be provided for Lambeth’s most vulnerable residents. DLBP are very proud to have played a part in securing the future of such a worthwhile and life changing scheme.
