Balmoral House
Balmoral House, Tunbridge Wells: conversion to special and general needs housing for St Pancras and Humanist Housing Association
Key Facts
10 one bedroom special needs flats
8 one and two bedroom general needs flats
Partnering contract
This characterful terrace of red brick Victorian houses steps down a sloping site overlooking a common in Tunbridge Wells. It had been converted in the 1970s to provide residential care for older people.
The funding gap caused by the difference between costs and income, the small size of the rooms and the complex internal levels led to the Association’s decision to close the scheme.
On another site in Tunbridge Wells, the Association already had a building accommodating a number of tenants with learning difficulties and the Balmoral House site was seen as a goood opportunity to relocate these tenants in a better town centre location allowing the other buidng to be sold.
The conversion of the existing building will provide supported houisng consisting of ten new one bedroom flats in one part of the terrace and eight self contained one and two bedroom flats for general needs use in the remainder.
Archadia worked closely with the supported housing team of the association to develop suitable flats with three new extensios on the rear elevation providing new bathrooms and kitchens.
The generous floor to ceiling heights were used to allow flats to be planned across level changes in the original terrace.
Office accommodation was also provided for a team serving several other facilities in the area.