News PRP’s designs for Rowcroft Hospice are backed by planners

PRP’s designs for Rowcroft Hospice are backed by planners

Press Releases

December 19, 2022

Torbay Council planners have voted in support of Rowcroft Hospice’s plans to enhance and extend its care, subject to finalising conditions. 

At the heart of the hospice’s ambition is to enhance and extend its care for local people through the remodelling of the Inpatient Unit, which will see the number of beds increase from 12 to 14. 

The plans are based on creating an environment that reflects a family home, while giving patients and their families even greater independence, privacy and choice during those precious moments together. This includes single rooms with en-suite facilities that can incorporate the very latest specialist equipment, family accommodation and a café. 

The development of the hospice site also includes plans to support the ageing population of Torbay. A 60-bed, purpose-built specialist dementia and complex nursing home will enable Rowcroft to meet the wider care needs of the community, as well as provide a valuable income stream to support the hospice’s future care. Plans have been developed that will allow residents to live in a caring, nurturing and vibrant home that supports as much independence, mobility and inclusion as possible.

The final part of the project is the development of later living accommodation and community facilities such as allotments, a village hall and a nursery. Creating opportunities for recreational activities and providing intergenerational connections are at the forefront of the plans.

The new contemporary buildings respond to the character of the retained properties, reflecting their different architectural qualities while respecting their scale and setting. Routes created through the landscape seek to provide clear visual connections across the site, celebrating the retained properties and extending their setting into the landscape to enjoy the beautiful trees and amenity spaces. 

The dwellings and care home are designed to meet net zero carbon in operation through the use of ground source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels.

Mark Hawkins, Rowcroft Hospice CEO, said: “We are incredibly proud to care for our community and want to ensure that specialist, quality end-of-life care is available to everyone who needs us, irrespective of diagnosis, circumstance or background. 

“We have spent time listening to the opinions of our community to ensure our care evolves in a way that will best support everyone who needs us in the future and we feel confident that these plans deliver on this. It is wonderful to have the backing of the Torbay Council planning committee and we look forward to delivering on our plans over the next ten years.”

Clare Cameron, architect & director in PRP’s later living team, said:

“Set amongst an extensive collection of trees and two grand houses of architectural note, this was an exciting opportunity to enhance and extend an existing hospice. The designs are founded on creating an environment that offers a purposeful way of living by providing an accessible and intergenerational series of opportunities in the landscape. We were delighted to work collaboratively with Rowcroft Hospice, to design a scheme that will provide a valuable and long-lasting resource for the local community.”