Re-furbish the existing building so that it meets modern standards

What would this mean in practice?

We would analyse options, prepare feasibility studies, and develop a proposal for the refurbishment of the home.

This would include securing capital funding, planning consents and procurement of specialist architectural advice.

Carry out building works to refurbish the existing building to meet current standards.

People who live at Allison House would remain in the home.

Cost

Refurbishment costs would not be known until the design specification is finalised and the build contract is let, but it is estimated to be up in the region of £3m to £5m.

In the longer term, the running cost per person would increase as fixed costs would be shared between fewer people due to a reduced number of places.

Approximate timescales

• Write Business Case and Executive Report requesting approval to invest in constructing a new home on Allison House site – 3 months
• Tender for architect – 3 months
• Develop refurbishment design – 6 months
• Tender for building contractor – 6 months
• Obtain Planning Permission – 3 months (may not be required)
• Refurbishment works take place – 6 to 12 months

Assumptions

Planning permission would be forthcoming if required.

A refurbishment whilst the home remained open would be technically and operationally feasible.

Advantages

People who live at Allison House could remain in the home.

The existing staff would remain in the home.

Existing and future residents would live in accommodation that meets modern standards.

Disadvantages

The adaptations required to bring the home up to current standards would generate noise and mess which would be disruptive to people living at Allison House over a long period of time.

People would have to move within the home to enable the building work to take place.

The work required would be extensive and require a significant amount of funding. We have not made provisions for refurbishing Allison House so may have to stop other projects or put them on hold to fund this refurbishment.

The number of bedrooms is likely to reduce because of the space required for en-suite bathrooms, larger rooms, and wider corridors to accommodate modern equipment, activity rooms, relaxation areas and lounges. Having fewer rooms would make the home less economically viable and result in a loss of total number of places available.

Initial assessment

Refurbishing the home is not currently considered to be an acceptable option because the work required would be disruptive to people who reside at Allison House over a long period of time and is likely to result in a home that has considerably fewer places than the current home, adversely affecting its economic viability.