Design work gets under way for new Cranford Hospice

Architecture HDT director Shaun Thompson-Gray has been appointed the architect for the new Cranford Hospice at Chesterhope Station. Photo Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay company Architecture HDT has been appointed the architect for the new Cranford Hospice, a project the whole team is excited about, says director Shaun Thompson-Gray.

The appointment followed community consultation on building a new hospice facility at Chesterhope Station, just off Pakowhai Rd, a move that had been received positively, said hospice chief executive officer Janice Byford-Jones.

The land was gifted to Cranford by the Joan Fernie Charitable Trust after the current hospice site on Knight St in Hastings was deemed impractical given its building's age and restrictions, and the increasing demands of modern palliative care.

Cranford Hospice staff, including volunteers and the general public, clinicians, local businesses, Pakowhai School and residents in the Pakowhai area were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the plans so far.

"Those who have engaged in consultation can see the very real merits of Chesterhope being the next location for Cranford Hospice," she said.

That meant the hard work could begin on the project being developed by Cranford Hospice Foundation, in partnership with Cranford Hospice Trust.

First up was the appointment of Feldspar project management consultants to get the scoping and costings under way and the Hawke's Bay team at Architecture HDT to undertake the design.

Cranford Hospice Foundation chairman John Buck said it was wonderful to have a bare piece of land to work with rather than fitting specific hospice requirements into an older, established building, as was the case with Knight St.

Mr Thompson-Gray agreed, and said the established gardens at Chesterhope created a tranquil space that the building design would complement.

"The garden that was planted by the Fernies creates a wonderful environment, and the building will reflect the organic structure of the garden - this is not about hero architecture, it's about the staff, the patients and the families."

He said meetings with stakeholders would be held over the next couple of months to shore up the building design.

"We will also have surveyors there so we know where every structure and every tree is, and size and type of every tree, some of which are extremely rare."

Mr Buck said the next step was now to obtain the essential Resource Consent approval from Hastings District Council, which was hoped to be signed off in the coming few weeks.

"Then our focus will turn to the biggest challenge of all which is fundraising. We'll be knocking on your doors!" Mr Buck said.

Currently Cranford Hospice needs to fundraise $2.8 million each year to provide specialist palliative care at no cost to the patient or their family/whanau. The new build was estimated to cost $14 million on top of that.