The final design proposals for the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease are now awaiting Leeds City Council approval, ahead of appointing a contractor and starting work on site at Seacroft Hospital.
The planning application follows extensive stakeholder and engagement sessions to create a building that meets the vision of all those involved, including clinical staff, patients, and the wider MND community, as well as the Burrow family.
The proposed building is arranged in three joined forms – an East and West Wing, which house the primary clinical spaces, connected via a central atrium. This central space has been designed as a community focused area with reading and quiet spaces, as well as activity and dining areas. It will be a place for family members to use and will enable staff to observe patients in a more informal setting.
The first floor is designated as a staff area with a dedicated wellbeing space to provide staff working in the building with space away from the clinical areas – an important consideration when providing care to patients with such a challenging condition.
Externally, the building has presence, with red brick tiles and gabled roof. Internally, natural materials will blend throughout the spaces, further supporting the wellbeing of patients and staff using the building.
The new centre will make the most of the existing landscape features including mature trees, and will provide landscaped gardens with access routes through zones with a mixture of planting for patients to engage with. It will also provide spaces for other therapy activities to take place as well as a memorial wall for private moments.
Targeting a sustainability rating of BREEAM ‘Excellent’, the centre will be built with a vision for the future, able to adapt to new innovations and treatments for MND patients as they emerge.
Craige Richardson, Director for Estates and Facilities, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, says,
“It’s brilliant news that the planning application for the new Motor Neurone Disease centre has been submitted. Once we move past this point, the landscape really starts to take shape and it will be a rapid succession of activity over the next few months.”
The current Leeds Hospitals Charity fundraising total sits at over £5.4m towards a target of £6.8m.
You can donate to the appeal and find out more through Leeds Hospitals Charity’s website.