Awel y Dyffryn/Pentre Canol Supported Living Village, Denbigh

Pentre Canol Supported Living Village provides a range of affordable homes for older people and those with supported living needs close to Denbigh Town Centre. The scheme has been developed in partnership with Grŵp Cynefin and Denbighshire County Council, and provides a total of 52 extra care apartments, 18 supported living units and a four-bed community living apartment.

Located within the heart of Denbigh’s Conservation Area on the disused site of a former school and educational centre, this substantial brownfield site occupies a prominent position within the town and has two key frontages facing onto roads Lon Goch to the North and Lon Ganol to the South.

The Supported Living Village is carefully designed to ensure a feeling of ‘domestic homeliness’ within a dementia friendly environment, with features to promote independence across the range of older persons extra care housing and to support those with learning disabilities who wish to remain in Denbigh, close to friends and family. A community café and other communal facilities are located centrally within the main extra care building, but are designed to be made available for all the residents as well as local people with supported living needs to use. An array of facilities to promote hobbies, interests and socialising amongst residents and the wider community has been laid out around a series of four sheltered courtyards creates a sense of place and helps to break down the scale of new development.

The new development has been designed sympathetically to respect Denbigh’s distinct local character while providing a modern design with a variety of built forms. A palette of natural, local materials is proposed to be used in a sensitive manner including render, facing brick, timber and metal cladding. It is intended that dressed and coursed limestone salvaged from demolition will be recycled in the building plinths and boundary walls.

The BREEAM Excellent scheme has been designed as low carbon to reduce energy demands, minimising the need to invest in expensive services, plant and infrastructure. A ‘fabric first’ approach has been utilised, and low and zero carbon technology is being considered including Combined Heat and Power, Solar Hot Water and potential for a fully integrated PV roof to the south facing roof elements is being considered to generate electricity for the communal areas.

Ainsley Gommon have provided architectural, conservation and landscape services for the project, which was submitted for Planning Approval in December 2016.

We are delighted to share some completion photographs courtesy of Grŵp Cynefin and Just Imagine.