The Third Party

Fleet Architects often design healthcare uses into ‘third party’ spaces within larger mixed-use developments. However, the process, which promises so much value as community-based care, repeatedly falls foul of the same recurring issues which might stymie the opportunities or scupper them altogether.

The benefit for healthcare uses, typically GP practices but increasingly enhanced services, is often identified in pre-planning and captured in the final planning approvals under one of the planning gain mechanisms. Even without the planning leverage, health uses can provide attractive and robust tenancies, yet still the spaces fall short of the opportunity. Why is this?

Firstly, the time between the initial planning and the delivery, particularly where this is wrapped up in a much larger development joint venture agreement with a Local Authority. This perceived gap is actually where the design engagement needs to happen but doesn’t. Instead, in our experience, a proxy, arguably too naïve, design is used to carry the proposals through to financial close.

It is only at that time, when ground is due to be broken that there is collective focus on how the space can be realised but, by that time, changes risk destabilising and adding cost and time, where it is not welcomed. The result is many prospective tenants are left with the ultimatum; take the space and live with less-than-perfect or walk away. Both are common, both are unfortunate.

How can developers and LAs, whether as a client or a planning authority, bolster the process to avoid this?

The ideal solution would be to complete the detail design (RIBA stage 3+ at least) with the prospective tenant earlier but the vagaries of the NHS business case approvals and funding procedures, coupled with the time and appetite for the tenants to engage, conspire against this, rendering it near impossible.

The actual requirements aren’t complicated though, and while it would serve our business to argue that a health experienced architect is critical at the shell and core stage, we don’t believe it is strictly true. Here is our 10-point plan to ensure a third party space is ready to enable the best possible outcome for healthcare use: