On behalf of our client, Caulmert have secured full planning permission and listed building consent for the development of an Extra Care complex consisting of a total of 54 one and two bed apartments.
The scheme involves the conversion of the existing Grade II listed Webb House into 18 apartments, together with a new contemporary three storey building to the rear to provide an additional 36 apartments. A Well-Being Hub is provided which links the existing and the new to the rear of the site incorporating a swimming pool, exercise studio and therapy rooms.
Webb House was built from the legacies of Francis William Webb, who was influential with the development of Crewe and had a career spanning over 30 years with the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). Webb Orphanage was built to serve the needs of the L&NWR Company’s employee’s children, who would have been left parentless following an accident within the Company.
The building was later used for various institutional uses, with the last use being a specialist mental health hospital for the NHS, which closed over 12 years ago. The building has remained vacant ever since.
Webb House is an exceptionally fine building, which stands as a proud reminder of Webb’s associations with Crewe as a major rail hub. The proposed use will safeguard this important heritage asset for future generations to enjoy, by putting it into an appropriate use.
Associate Planner Clive Cunio said: “We have worked long and hard with the local planning authority over the last eighteen months to achieve this excellent result, which has only been possible through having a client who has a background in and understands the intricacies of developing listed buildings. The building now has a secure future mapped out for it, which will ensure it is safeguarded for future generations to enjoy.”
