Development of the Building
History of the Home
Hazeldene House replaced the old ‘The Priory Residential Home’ which was no longer fit for purpose. The new design incorporates contemporary standards and requirements and with modern facilities to care for elderly people requiring specialist nursing and dementia care.
The old care home had all the shortcomings of a converted domestic dwelling in which the room sizes, corridor widths, shared toilets and bathrooms, and ancillary accommodation were way below what is required to provide a comfortable and safe environment for residents.
The context of the development in terms of its physical, social and economic aspects was adapted throughout the design process to achieve a high quality replacement building
The new home provides a high standard of living and communal accommodation with an innovative style of elevation utilising traditional materials for this sensitive location. The design incorporates large glazed openings to maximise sunlight penetration into the building. In combination, this contributes to the new home becoming a prime example of contemporary living and care for the elderly.
Construction Stage
The construction of the new facility commenced in July 2011 and was carried out in three phases, namely:-
- Phase One – The erection of the first section of the building which includes resident suites, a central core area/resident day spaces and a basement which facilitates staff area/back of house. This phase also included the commencement of the extensive groundworks operations which comprised the formation of a new car park and superb soft landscaped garden areas benefitting the residents with dementia. This was completed in November 2012;
- Phase Two – Demolition of the existing building: This was completed in December 2012;
- Phase Three – The erection of the final section of the building which included the remaining resident suites and completion of the external works: This was completed in November 2013.