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National Star looks to Speller Metcalfe again

23 Jun 22 Speller Metcalfe has been chosen as main contractor for a £6m development at a college in Gloucestershire for people with disabilities.

Image courtesy of Coombes Everitt Architects
Image courtesy of Coombes Everitt Architects

National Star is a charity and a college that provides specialist further education, personal development, and residential services for young people with complex disabilities and learning difficulties.

Speller Metcalfe will build a new hall of residence at the college’s Ullenwood campus near Cheltenham. It will provide specially adapted accommodation for young people with disabilities that meets complex needs and provides spaces to live and learn.

Each of the 13 bedrooms will have specialist overhead tracking hoists and ensuite facilities ensuring privacy for those with high levels of personal care needs. There will be wide corridors that can easily large wheelchairs. There will also be sensory/break-out spaces to support those with autism, sensory processing disorders and behavioural challenges as well as large communal areas which will be used for life skills sessions.

The new building has been designed by Cheltenham-based Coombes Everitt Architects. The three organisations have worked together on several projects, most recently Bradbury Gardens in Pittville, Cheltenham, which is home to eight long-term residents and 17 residential students.

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“We’re delighted to appoint Speller Metcalfe for this important development which will enable the charity to ensure it can continue to grow and thrive for years to come,” said National Star chief executive David Ellis. “They understand the needs of the young people we support and truly grasp the ethos and vision of the charity. That makes all the difference to a project like this.”

The new residence will replace an existing residence in Gloucester. “The needs of the young people coming to National Star is changing and we need accommodation which can best meet their needs and are closer to the facilities we have at Ullenwood,” said Mr Ellis.

Andy Metcalfe, director at Speller Metcalfe, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to be back working with the charity, having a partnership that dates back many years following the delivery of a number of previous schemes. We will be bringing many of the same team to this project who understand the complex and sensitive needs of the college and its students, and will be able to channel this experience into delivering a safe, supportive and meaningful project to National Star.

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