Co Create Architects secures planning for a single-storey extension to Little Oldway, a Grade II listed care home in Paignton, adding sustainable, accessible and resident living spaces.
We’re excited to share that planning permission has been granted for our latest project at Little Oldway Residential Care Home in Paignton. This has been a truly collaborative journey and we’re proud to be working with a fantastic team in Torbay to help breathe new life into such a well-loved place.
Little Oldway is a care home with deep roots in the community. It sits within the historic grounds of Oldway Mansion, once home to Isaac Singer of Singer sewing machine fame. With a setting as special as this, we knew from the start that any changes needed to be respectful and carefully thought through.
The approved design adds five new garden-facing bedrooms along with a new dining room, a light-filled conservatory-style link and improved spaces for staff and residents to enjoy. All of the new rooms will be at ground level with direct access to the gardens, giving residents a stronger connection to the outdoors and creating a calm and uplifting atmosphere.
This scheme has come a long way. We’ve worked closely with Torbay Council and Historic England to reshape the design and make sure it sits comfortably alongside the existing building. We’ve pulled back the extension from the original façade so the historic features stay front and centre and we’ve taken care to match materials and details to the 1990s wing, helping the new spaces blend in rather than stand out.
It’s not just about new rooms. We’re also restoring parts of the old stonework, reorganising the outdoor storage and introducing new landscaping that will boost biodiversity and enhance the experience for everyone who visits or lives there.
Sustainability has been an important part of our thinking. The project includes solar panels to generate clean energy along with improved insulation and energy-efficient systems throughout. It’s all designed to be comfortable to live in and kinder to the environment.
We’d like to thank everyone involved so far — Little Oldway Residential, Avalon Planning and Heritage, Redleaf Landscape Architecture and our brilliant consultants for their support, care and expertise.
This is a really positive step for the home in Paignton and its residents and we’re looking forward to seeing it take shape.
