BSP Consulting was the civil and structural engineer for a new Leicester children’s home which has recently been completed.
Hillview, located in the west of the city, is Leicester City Council’s first purpose-built children’s home to be constructed for more than 40 years.
The new £1.8m children’s home includes a contribution of £800,000 from the Department for Education, and will provide accommodation for five young people between the ages of seven and 17.
Hillview has five bedrooms with ensuite facilities, as well as two semi-independent living flats, to help young people leaving care learn to live independently. There is also a kitchen, lounge, sleeping quarters for staff and a games room with ‘street art’ wall.
BSP Consulting director Paul Elphick said: “We were very pleased to provide civil and structural engineering services for this new Leicester children’s home – the first in the city for more than four decades.
“It will provide important facilities to care for children who can’t live with their birth families. As a local East Midlands civil and structural engineering company with an office in Leicester, BSP Consulting was proud to have been involved in such a significant scheme.”
Leicester City Council worked with Loughborough-based Scope Construction to deliver the project. Maz Patel, managing director of Scope Construction, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Leicester City Council to deliver their first new-build children’s home for many years.
“Scope takes pride in helping people and communities to flourish through the built environment, and our project team has delivered another first-class project for the council and the local community. We look forward to seeing young people thrive in what is a place that has a much more homely feel to it.”
Sustainability
The new home features a range of energy-efficient measures, including roof-mounted photo-voltaic panels and air source heat pumps. It will also serve as a hub for training for social care staff, foster carers and other professionals.
Assistant city mayor for children and young people, Cllr Elaine Pantling, said: “I’m delighted to see Hillview open its doors. We’re very proud of the investment we’ve made into these new council-run children’s homes, as it means we are able to care for more children and young people in-house, within the city, rather than moving them away to other locations.”
Read the council’s press release about the scheme here.
