An urgent request to help Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust to obtain planning permission for a children and adolescent mental health unit on the Countess of Chester Hospital site lead to a really rewarding and ground-breaking project

We worked with Ryhurst, Gilling Dod architects and Eric Wright Construction to overcome the problem of fitting a very large new building into a constrained site adjoining the protected Countess Country Park.

To do this we engaged with the local authority to evolve proposals that resulted in net gains to biodiversity and amenity value of the park, as well as making a tangible connection between the hospital and its surroundings. The staff were especially keen to contribute.  This meant the creation of a small sports pitch and informal play areas as well as wildlife trails through woodland and wetland meadows and even a chicken run!  A number of bird and bat boxes were made and erected by Glyn to meet BREEAM requirements and to increase nesting opportunities for robins and blue tits.