Derby-based Armsons have been appointed as quantity surveyors and project managers on a project to construct a new veterinary hospital in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire.
The company are working alongside architects Urban Design, structural engineers Millward and CJR Midlands who are acting as building services engineers on the scheme, which will see former office space at Errisbeg House at Barton Turn converted into a purpose-built veterinary and hospital facility for West Midlands Veterinary Referrals.
West Midlands Referrals Ltd opened in June 2011 and now employs five full-time surgeons, two ophthalmologists, 12 registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), along with medics, scanners and seven non-clinical staff.
Having outgrown its current premises in Lichfield, the practice purchased the Victorian Errisbeg House in 2017 and embarked on an ambitious redevelopment programme.
A planning application approved by East Staffordshire Borough Council has seen the demolition of existing outbuildings and the construction of new single storey side and rear extension to the south of the main house, which will form the new veterinary hospital and ancillary offices attached to the existing Errisbeg House.
The second floor will be converted to create a caretaker suite. Additional car parking will also be created.
The scheme will more than double the clinical capacity the practice currently has at Lichfield, with six consulting rooms, four operating theatres, two x-ray rooms and imaging suites, along with a cattery and kennels.
Main works have begun, with the project set to be completed and open for clinical work from Spring 2019.
Other businesses based on the Errisbeg site include a sports physiotherapist, snack bar, car wash and taxi company.
Commenting on the project, Jon Mills, who founded West Midlands Referrals with Andy Whittingham in 2011, said:
“We’re delighted that planning permission has been granted for the new veterinary surgery in Barton. There was a gap in the market for a facility of this standard in the area, so we’re pleased that works are underway.
“We’ve got a great team on board to carry out the redevelopment work and look forward to opening our new facility to the public in Spring 2019.”
Sally Walters, director at Armsons, added: “The new veterinary hospital in Barton is going to be a tremendous addition to the facilities in the local community.
“This is an exciting project to be involved with. Works have started and are progressing well.”
Armsons was established in 1972 to offer quantity surveying expertise to both private and public-sector clients. The range of services has expanded over the years to reflect the industry’s changing needs and now encompasses Project Management, Construction Cost Management and Building Surveying as our core services provision.
The firm worked on the Scarsdale Small Animal Hospital on Pride Park in Derby and has also been involved in a series of award-winning schemes, including the transformation of the historic Roundhouse on Pride Park into a £51m engineering, technology and construction campus for Derby College; Glasshouse College – Ruskin Mill Land Trust, a College for young people with learning and behavioural difficulties housed in the former Royal Doulton glass-factory in Stourbridge’s Glass Quarter; and the 400 Hall, a flexible performance theatre for Repton Hall School.
