Plans to develop Richhill Health Centre to add to accommodation and extend services available on site have been given the go-ahead.
Proposals for the internal refurbishment of the premises – on the Maynooth Road – will see the addition of a number of multi-disciplinary treatment rooms.
An application had been lodged with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for consideration in July last year.
The new offices will be situated on the lower ground floor level and are being introduced in lieu of an existing storage area. Changes to a number of windows in the premises are also planned.
The new accommodation will include a health visitors’ office, a baby clinic, physio consulting room and interview room. A lift is also planned to enable all-inclusive access.
There will no change to staffing levels on site daily and parking provision – consisting of 27 spaces – will remain the same.
There were no public objections to the proposals. And, despite being located close to listed buildings, Historic Environment Division has informed council they they are “sufficiently removed to remain unaffected by this application”.
DfI Roads South Division had pointed out that the application form stated there would be no additional employees or others attending the Health Centre as a result of the changes, “despite there being additional offices and an additional consulting room proposed”, and said this required clarification.
And the Department added: “Whilst no increaser in footprint, there is significant re-categorisation of usage. This will impact the parking standards to be applied to the entire Health Centre. A parking analysis should be provided for the entirety of the facility as existing and post proposed development.”
A two-day parking study was carried out in November and submitted last month.
It explained: “Richhill Health Centre provides general health and nursing facilities and includes consulting and treatment rooms, a waiting area and administration.
“The site is located within the central core of Richhill. It is a split level building with the ground floor entrance fronting onto Maynooth Road. There is a lower ground floor. Internal amendments are proposed to both floors, with no enlargement of the building footprint.
“The rear car parking area is accessed from Maynooth Road via a priority access arrangement to the southwest of the site. On foot the most direct access to the building is the pedestrian entrance on Maynooth Road.”
It advises the study was carried out between opening hours – 8am to 6pm – to “ascertain existing parking demand on-street on Maynooth Road and off street at the rear car park”.
The study confirmed: “The potential for additional car parking demand has been identified and assessed against published parking standards. The study found that there is adequate car parking both on and off street to accommodate the development proposal.”
The results showed a maximum existing requirement of seven parking spaces and a proposed requirement of up to 17 – 10 additional parking based on the assessment methodology, reflecting an “uplift of consultancy room use, patient waiting and crossover parking events”.
Having considered the results, DfI – in correspondence in recent days – confirmed they were satisfied.
They found that the “study appears to be reasonable and shows compliance to the published parking standards via utilisation of in-curtilage and on street parking”.
Officials have now, therefore, agreed that the development can proceed.
