There have been major changes on our site in Harrow, Four Winds.
The site is looking really good and is almost finished, with the main house being occupied again. The basement renovations are coming along, making good progress and should be finished soon.
Four Winds progress
We have recently submitted planning for two large schemes for Beechcroft Developments Ltd. They are both Housing for Older People, in sensitive contexts.
Fonthill is a vacant locally listed building in a conservation area and we are proposing new flats next to the historic building which already has planning for its conversion. Eridge Road is currently a vacant site, but is surrounded by a row of Victorian semi-detached stucco villas, in the Italianate style, a pair of semi-detached houses and a large brick railway shed.
In the care sector, our Extra Care project in Diss for Sunstone Living has gone out to tender. Some of the CGI’s for the communal areas of the building are below.
For our residential projects on site, there has been significant progress on Four Winds which is almost complete, looking fantastic and is being occupied.
Fonthill
Eridge Road
Diss
Diss
We have exciting new projects underway in the luxury residential sector including Mercers House in Walton-on-Thames, and a large, late Arts and Crafts house in Glenilla Road, Hampstead. On a much larger scale we are currently working on preliminary designs for a residential tower in Lagos with 34 duplex apartments, some with private rooftop pools.
Glenilla Road
Lagos
In the care sector working drawings are now underway for our Extra Care housing project in Diss, Norfolk, and planning applications are currently being considered for two new care homes, one at Crawley Down in Mid-Sussex and the other at Chapelfield near Waltham Abbey.
Chapelfield
Crawley Down
We have been enlarging and strengthening the team over the last few months with the arrival of Aleks, Seung, Claire and Davide. We worked out recently that between us we have mastery of no less than 13 different languages.
Early this year we took the decision to invest in setting up a Virtual Private Network for RMA and immediately after Lockdown it became abundantly clear what a good decision this had been with the entire team able to work on uninterrupted from their various homes. With an experienced and close knit team which has been maintained and , indeed enlarged, the ensuing six months have been very productive and Richard has learned to live with having to sort out his own IT problems – or most of them at least.
And so the big decision to give up our London home in Cowcross Street, where we have been for the last seven years, and give up with it the cost, the time and the public transport perils of the daily commute. Instead we have found a splendid new base in the old Surveyors Office at Hatfield House, close to Richard’s home. The building is ideal for us, 5 minutes from the station and the A1, and only 30 minutes from King’s Cross but with the huge expanse of Hatfield Park just outside.
Some work will continue to be done from various individual homes but all of the established team can travel easily to the new base as well so there will be plenty of scope for the friendly contact that has, despite the wonders of Zoom, been one of the bigger losses of the last few months.
We very much hope that we will see you in our new office before too long. The address is RM Architects, the Bungalow, Home Yard, Hatfield House, AL9 5NF
RMA has recently submitted three planning applications for varied schemes as follows:
Frognal Lane
We have recently submitted a planning application for a large detatched house in Frognal Lane. The original house dates from 1813 and it is Grade 2 listed.
The application is to reverse some changes to the interior and exterior of the building, and restore the original character of the building, make internal improvements to the spaces, create a below ground pool complex and rebuild an annex building. The proposals are intended improve the aesthetic value of the existing building and be designed to be more sympathetic with the Manor House.
Swakeleys
The demolition of existing house and ancillary buildings on site and creation of a new 2.5storey building with 8 flats. 4 Ground Floor Plats, 3 First Floor Flats and 1 set into the roof profile. The design, is conceived as a large villa in the late arts and crafts style typical of Ickenham.
The flats comply with Space Standards, most will be dual aspect, and all will have dedicated outdoor space.
There is potential for the flats to be used specifically as homes for older people and, to this end, the design will comply in all reasonable respects with the Lifetime Homes and HAPPI standards. A lift is provided.
Crawley Down
Proposed 64 Bed Care home, which in line with current practice, consists of four semi-independent groupings of 16 beds, each group having its own lounge, dining area, nursing station and other ancillary facilities. Groupings of this size work well in social terms and allow for very well-tailored care provision. It is likely that one or more of the four wings will be adapted for the provision of dementia care.
Over and above the care wings, are communal spaces, including reception and recreational facilities for more able residents and their families, and staff areas, including administrative offices, kitchens, the laundry and rest rooms.
Gardens are an essential facility, and this site is wonderfully suited to provide secure, beautifully landscaped grounds.
We have just received approval for our planning application for an 77 unit Extra Care scheme in Diss, Norfolk on behalf of East Anglia Care Homes. The scheme was approved unanimously at committee this morning.
Richard, in his role as chair of Retirement Housing Group, was among the signatories of a recent letter to the Chancellor requesting a reduction in Stamp Duty, and was delighted with yesterday’s confirmation that the suggested change will be put in place immediately.
Last night, Richard helped the Fitzwilliam/Corpus team win the Final of the Cambridge University Land Society lock down version of University Challenge. The team beat the 3 P’s & a Q team.
In the Cambridge University Land Society lock down version of University Challenge the Fitzwilliam/Corpus team, including Richard, beat the Caius/Girton team in Tuesday night’s semi-final. The grand final will be played on 7 July.
Richard has recently taken over the Chair of the Retirement Housing Group; the largest and most widely representative trade association in the older people’s housing sector, with a membership including major providers, advisory bodies and specialist consultants.
The group has recently been co-ordinating sector-wide talks on how best to deal with the threat of Coronavirus, and regular meetings with Care Minister Helen Whately and her team.
As the Coronavirus pandemic intensifies, local GP practices have become a frontline in the struggle to stop the infection spreading. As we now know, the Coronavirus has a 14 day incubation period, during which a patient can unknowingly spread the infection without showing any symptoms.
With the healthcare system overstretched, and low stocks of personal protective equipment, it is essential to prevent healthcare workers from becoming infected. According to recent studies, a sneeze can carry viruses up to 8 metres.
We were asked us to design a sneeze screen to protect reception staff at a busy doctor’s clinic in London. Made from robust off the shelf parts, the screen was designed and installed in under a week.
Work on site for Four Winds, an Arts and Crafts house in Harrow is well underway. The basement excavations and construction of the leisure floor are progressing well.
We have various new projects in the office.
Alterations to a large listed house in Hampstead is currently being designed. This includes a basement swimming pool extension and internal and external changes to the house.
A 64 Bed Care Home in Mid Sussex.
We have just submitted a planning application for an 77 unit Extra Care scheme in Diss, Norfolk on behalf of East Anglia Care Homes.
We were delighted to receive two awards for our completed scheme for Beechcroft Developments in Leatherhead, Surrey. The scheme won Best Retirement Living Development at the Evening Standard New Home Awards and received a silver in the Best Retirement Development category at the WhatHouse? Awards.
We recently received planning permission for a rooftop extension in Bedford Park Ealing, an important early 20th century planned suburb by Norman Shaw and others.
Our scheme for the conversion of the Manor House hotel in Godalming, a fine Edwardian building, now has planning permission and work has recently started on site.
Our scheme for Beechcroft in Townlands Drive St Albans is now complete and most of the new flats and houses are occupied.
Drawings have recently been completed for an apartment block in Limbe, Cameroon for a private client.
London based architect for the residential, commercial and retirement sectors.
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