Assura HQ plans secure approval

FTSE250 healthcare real estate investment trust Assura plc has been given the go-ahead for plans to improve its Altrincham head office.Assura develops, invests and manages healthcare buildings across the UK and relocated to 3 Barrington Road in Altrincham last year.The planned works will create a modern and welcoming environment while also boosting the environmental performance of the building and providing new well-being amenities for staff.The retro-fit aims to be the first NABERS UK rated office refurbishment in the North West.Chief executive Jonathan Murphy said: “Now we have planning permission we can make the next steps to improve our office and provide a sustainable, modern and innovative working environment for all of our staff.“We want to lead by example for a sustainable world and the changes we are making to the building, using our Net Zero Carbon Design Guide, will help us achieve that. We want our office to showcase modern, low carbon construction methods to set a standard for all our future healthcare projects.”The plans for the office include a roof extension, replacement windows, improved insulation to the building fabric and enhanced controls to building services.The renovations will also provide an opportunity to add new amenity spaces and a roof terrace available for all staff to use.The proposal also includes re-working of the landscaping along Barrington Road and around the site including a public pocket park and planting.It was designed by architects, Hawkins Brown, in conjunction with Civic Engineers (Structural) and Planit (Landscaping) and aims to be on site early summer 2024.