Plans for accommodation to house 89 NHS key workers and medical students in Truro, Cornwall, have been approved following preparation and submission by Axis.
The development of three separate blocks of flats off the A390 Tresawls Road in the Gloweth area meets an identified need for this kind of accommodation in Truro. Student lodgings at the Royal Cornwall Hospital are oversubscribed each year and staff at the hospital, which is planning significant expansion, have struggled to find appropriate housing nearby.
In fact, the need for new accommodation is now so great that the Royal Cornwall Hospital submitted a letter in support of our application, detailing how a lack of staff accommodation and the rising cost of buying or renting a property in Cornwall is affecting staff retention and the hospital’s ability to attract staff from overseas. As a result, operations at the hospital could be seriously undermined.
Sustainable accommodation for staff and students
The planned development, which is just five minutes’ walk from the Royal Cornwall Hospital and the medical and dental education facility the Knowledge SPA, has been designed with sustainability in mind.
Cornwall Council’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2030 was factored into the plans drawn up in partnership with CAD Architects to include the following features:
- Limited car parking only available for visitors and disabled residents to encourage takeup of other modes of transport.
- A location close to services and amenities, in walking distance of the hospital and with a regular bus service.
- Sustainable transport measures, including a travel plan and hourly rental of cars and e-bikes.
- A range of biodiversity and ecological enhancements that would increase biodiversity on the site by ten per cent.
- Approximately 70 cycle stands and e-bike parking spaces, equating to almost one space per room.
- Sustainable building design including solar panels, ground source heat pumps, green roofs and the use of recycled, reclaimed and energy-efficient building materials.
