Architects submit plans for new Lancashire NHS rehabilitation centre

Plans for the new NHS rehabilitation centre on the Fylde have been unveiled by architect, design and masterplanning practice Frank Whittle Partnership.
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FWP has been appointed by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust to deliver the redevelopment of an existing hospital building at Wesham, which has been empty for more than eight years.

A new “community facing rehabilitation service” will be based in the refurbished building which includes a modern, timber-clad extension and which will include 28 en-suite bedrooms.

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There will be therapy areas and expansive gardens and outdoor therapy areas making full use of the site.

The Architect's designs for the new NHS rehabilitation centre at WeshamThe Architect's designs for the new NHS rehabilitation centre at Wesham
The Architect's designs for the new NHS rehabilitation centre at Wesham

The proposals include quiet lounges and a kitchen where service users will be able to cook all their own meals with staff support.

Community space has been included within the new entrance block to encourage use of the site by local residents in partnership with the trust.

The Wesham unit, on Mowbreck Lane, will focus on helping people’s recovery from complex mental health problems.

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Preston-based FWP has submitted its plans for the redevelopment to Fylde Council on behalf of the trust.

If planning permission is granted the new unit is scheduled to open in late 2021. The practice says the proposed new facility will be “warm and welcoming”, with a “non-clinical feel” throughout.

This is the second major refurbishment that FWP has worked on for the trust, which provides a range of mental health services for communities in Lancashire and south Cumbria. Earlier this year FWP’s specialist mental health team completed its redesign of the Skylark Avondale unit in Preston.

David Simmons, associate partner and interior designer at FWP, said: “Working closely with the trust, the plans we have submitted for Wesham will create a modern, facility that is warm and welcoming for both service users and staff and has a distinct non-clinical feel to it.

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“As with our previous work with the trust, our aim is to deliver something that is far removed from people’s traditional view of a hospital unit.

“At the same time, we will deliver a robust and safe environment that fully meets the needs of the new community facing rehabilitation service operating in the building and those it is looking to help and support.”