Teignmouth Health & Wellbeing Centre
Teignmouth, Devon
AWP were pleased to provide Transport and Flood Risk input into a new Health & Wellbeing Centre in Teignmouth. The proposed centre will combine three existing NHS GP surgeries, which will be integrated alongside a range of additional support services to provide physical and mental healthcare, social care and wellbeing.
The site sits within Teignmouth’s historic town centre core, and was heavily constrained by a number of factors, not least the requirements for raised ground floor levels and flood resilient measures to protect the building against any breaches of the sea wall during a storm event.
Although sustainably located within the town centre, the proposed use of the site needed careful input into vehicle access and parking requirements, including provision for on-call Doctors and disabled parking bays. A relocation of existing on-street parking bays to provide a new drop-off and emergency vehicle access was also required, ensuring that the development did not impact the overall on-street parking capacity in the local area. Improving on existing brownfield conditions, the car park will be surfaced with a permeable block paving system which provides filtration, treatment and attenuation of surface water runoff before it is discharged to the River Teign.
The heritage assets along Osmond’s Lane – one of the primary routes between the town centre and beach - were also a significant consideration together with the need to provide a safe and secure thoroughfare for pedestrians whilst incorporating the higher building storeys over the existing route to link the two halves of the site together. To overcome this, we proposed that cycle parking was placed adjacent to Osmond’s Lane to create a more open and active frontage, which would then provide access into the undercroft parking area with disabled parking bays, and out into the wider car park. The undercroft parking will be supported by open arches, creating a safe and welcoming environment for all users.
Extensive consultation with Devon County Council, the Environment Agency and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust was undertaken throughout the project to ensure that the required range of services could be delivered within the local context and despite challenging constraints. We are pleased to see this project obtain planning approval, and excited for the future of Teignmouth and ongoing town centre regeneration.
Photo credit: Avalon Planning & Heritage