News and Press

Ardrossan “Healthy” Centre Gets Green Light

30 Apr 2008

A new £5 million health centre with a doctor’s and dentist’s surgery that’s designed by one of Scotland’s top architects, has got the go ahead from North Ayrshire’s Planning Committee.

The Ardrossan Harbour health centre will replace the existing South Beach surgery. Offering a GPs practice with nine consulting rooms, and a Dental Clinic with two surgeries, the new centre is due to in the summer of 2009.

Award winning architects Reiach & Hall, have designed the elegant modern building that will integrate a derelict, listed police station on the same site.

Light and airy open spaces will be a feature of the new “healthy” centre; unlike the institutional feel of many health service buildings, this one is intended to make people feel good when they walk in. Wrapping round the building is a landscaped garden, so that views from inside will be of trees and greenery, rather than busy streets.

And the green theme continues in the fabric of the building – the new health centre is the first NHS building in Scotland to achieve a BREEAM “excellent” rating (the world’s most widely used environmental standard).

Neil Johnson, Director of North Ayrshire Ventures Ltd, the developers of the building, said how pleased they were that it has now secured planning permission. He described the new health centre as a “lean, mean, green building and said:

“It sets new standards for health buildings in Scotland; we hope that visitors and users of the building will notice a very different feel to the clinics and surgeries they’ve been used to in the past.

“It’s also hugely energy efficient, so there will be significant savings made over time in utilities bills.”

Ardrossan Harbour Health Centre will be an integral part of the continued regeneration of the town. It’s the third development in the area by North Ayrshire Ventures Ltd (NAV Ltd) - the joint venture company set up by North Ayrshire Council and The EDI Group. North Ayrshire Ventures have already delivered two office buildings in Saltcoats and Kilwinning, securing more than 300 jobs for the area.

-ENDS-

For further information or photos please contact Giselle Dye at Pagoda Public Relations on 0131 556 0770 or mobile 07739 085023, e: giselle.dye@pagodapr.com

Notes for Editors
1. North Ayrshire Ventures Limited is a joint venture company between The EDI Group and North Ayrshire Council, formed to undertake development projects that focus on both social inclusion and the creation of new jobs in Ayrshire.
2. The EDI Group carries out a range of property development from office and retail through factories to housing for the homeless. It combines a commercial approach with a commitment to bringing architectural, environmental and social benefits to and through its projects. EDI’s wide ranging project portfolio includes office developments, retail properties within Edinburgh’s Old Town, Edinburgh Park, the long-term regeneration of Craigmillar and residential schemes throughout Edinburgh. It operates mainly in the Edinburgh City region, but it has also a presence in Glasgow and North Ayrshire. www.edigroupscotland.co.uk
3. Reiach and Hall Architects is an established, award winning practice working in all sectors with broad portfolio of projects. Most recently the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney has won the RIAS Andrew Doolan 'Best Building in Scotland' Award for Architecture - the largest prize in British architecture - and six of their projects have gained recognition in the Civic Trust Awards 2008.For additional information or images please contact jo.roxburgh@reiachandhall.co.uk; t: 0131 225 8444 www.reiachandhall.co.uk