Children's Hospice Southwest, Cornwall
LATEST NEWS......Little harbour given the green light
Children’s Hospice South West is delighted to confirm that planning
permission has been granted for a children’s hospice in Cornwall.
The planning application was referred to the Government Office for the
South West by Restormel Borough Council after Restormel’s Planning
Committee gave it their seal of approval on Friday 13th February. The
application was referred as the site for the hospice – on Porthpean
Road, just outside St Austell – is in an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. The Government Office quickly backed Restormel’s decision
enabling the decision notice to be issued.
Children’s Hospice South West is delighted to reveal the long awaited plans
for its third hospice!
Since September 2007 the charity has been raising funds through the Precious Lives
Appeal to bring its special service closer to home for families in Plymouth and
Cornwall by the building of a new children’s hospice near to St Austell. With the
plans for this much needed 8 bedded hospice now deposited with Restormel Borough
Council, and the appeal total now in excess of a staggering £1.6million, Children’s
Hospice South West is thrilled to share the plans with the public.
Supporters pondering the plans will see a slate roof, Cornish stone walls, and a
tower reminiscent of the many lighthouses surrounding the Plymouth and Cornish coastline,
and designed to reinforce the hospice’s Cornwall and Plymouth connections. They
will also discover the special children’s bedrooms, accommodation for parents and
siblings, a wide range of play and therapy facilities – including a messy play area,
a Jacuzzi, and a multi-sensory room – and a homely family kitchen and living room
which are all designed to help create a comfortable and wonderfully caring community.
Excitingly the plans have brought the new children’s hospice – to be built on Porthpean
Road, St Austell – to life so much that it has already been named!
Eddie Farwell, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Children’s Hospice South West reveals:
“The location for the new hospice has given us our inspiration and we have taken
the name from one of the translations of Porthpean. We have chosen to call our special
third hospice Little Harbour, which is wonderfully apt for such a homely and caring
place.”
Like its name, Little Harbour will be a special place where life-limited children
from Plymouth and Cornwall will be cared for and protected. As with Children’s Hospice
South West’s two other hospices – Little Bridge House in North Devon and Charlton
Farm in Somerset – Little Harbour will provide:
- renowned world class hospice care
- a multidisciplinary care team
- one to one specialist care with dedicated contact workers
- respite, emergency and terminal care
- sibling support, for well brothers and sisters
- bereavement support, for as long as the family need it
All these facilities will be provided in a home from home and safe environment.
The design of the new buildings reflects Cornwall’s position as a national leader
in green technology and low carbon building. Structures will be super-insulated
and tested for air-tightness to minimise heat loss and gain, with air source heat
pumps and solar panelling providing heating through under floor pipe work. There
will be no reliance on oil or gas and rainwater will be recycled wherever possible.
Outside the buildings, the natural form of the land will be used to create micro-climates
and unique gardens specific to the well-being of the children, utilising plant species
established in the locality.
Eddie Farwell is delighted with the proposals:
“A lot of thought has been put into the plans and we are exceptionally pleased with
them. I am particularly excited by the feature of a tower offering panoramic views
out to sea and across the Clay Country, which will provide a wonderful space for
children and families to reflect or just enjoy soaking up the picturesque surroundings.
The tower will be a beacon of light and hope as well as a beautifully distinguishing
feature of Little Harbour.”
It is anticipated that a decision regarding planning permission will be made by
Spring 2009 with the plan that contractors will be on board from Autumn 2009, with
building work commencing in Spring 2010.
Eddie reflects:
“We are one step closer to achieving our dream of building a much needed children’s
hospice in Cornwall but there is still a long way to go before we can welcome children
and families through the doors of Little Harbour. We have been overwhelmed by the
vast numbers of people in Cornwall and Plymouth who have taken our special appeal
to their hearts, and it is their continued support that will help us to turn the
dream of Little Harbour into a reality.”
For further information about the Precious Lives Appeal to build Little Harbour,
and to find out more about the different ways in which you can help please visit
www.chsw.org.uk or contact
the Children’s Hospice South West Truro office on: 01872 261166.