Oswestry Primary Care Centre

Located within the former Cambrian Railway Works, Oswestry Primary Care Centre provides a new site for the Cae Glas Doctors Surgery and state of the art healthcare provision for Shropshire Primary Care Trust. The Grade II listed building was constructed in the 1860’s as a locomotive workshop but after years of neglect the building had fallen into a state of disrepair. Working in close consultation with the scheme’s developers Castlemead, Shropshire County Council, the Primary Care Trust, Doctors from the Cae Glas Surgery and English Heritage, a sensitive scheme of conversion was undertaken to provide over 40,000 square feet of new health and welfare facilities, office space and apartments on three floors.

The design included the restoration of a number of key internal and external features of the original building, whilst a carefully planned internal layout allowed the building to be adapted to house a number of services including a Minor Injuries Unit with X-Ray Facilities, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Speech and Language Therapy Services, a Health Promotions Unit and Advanced Primary Care Services. A full height atrium space provides the main waiting and circulation area while the height and scale of the original steam engine workshops remains.

The third bay of the railway shed provides a courtyard area creating an outdoor recreation space with seating areas and raised planting beds. A copper coloured feature lift shaft punctures the space, enhancing the height and scale of the former engine workshop. Whilst open to the elements, the original queen post timber roof trusses are left exposed to brace the structure and the route of the original railway track is reflected in the hard landscaping design.

Completed in July 2011 for a cost of £4.5 million, the scheme also includes four residential apartments and additional office space. The project was awarded an Oswestry Civic Society Award in 2011.