Foley House to get a new lease of life
Suffolk County Council's making improvements
Suffolk County Council is investing £280,000 in refurbishment of Foley House in Newmarket to modernise facilities and bring services together.
Foley House in Newmarket is owned by Suffolk County Council and has supported a variety of public sector services over many years, including youth and community services and adult education. It currently houses a children centre, pre-school and the Newmarket Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is situated in a post war "horsa" styled hut on the site. With so many important services in one place the council has decided to modernise and improve the facilities there.
The project will see some internal remodelling and refurbishment of the main building, together with improvements to external areas including the demolition of the old CAB building. This will allow the CAB (run by Citizens Advice West Suffolk) to be accommodated within the main building as the hut currently used is old and unsuitable for the service. Some of the space currently used by the children's centre will be remodelled to help improve the accommodation for providing Healthy Child Services. The building also houses Realise Futures, a service that aims to improve and promote the economic and social wellbeing of those who are disadvantaged and/or disabled, and the children's and young person's Early Help Service. The building improvements and consolidation of services will help create a strong family hub in Newmarket, supporting a wide range of essential services for families and individuals. The site will also undergo external landscaping to include new pathways, cycle racks and a buggy shelter.
Speaking about the investment Cllr. Nick Gowrley, Cabinet member with responsibility for the council's property portfolio and assets said:
"Foley House is an important site for public services in Newmarket, so it is absolutely right that the council invests in its future so it can continue to serve local families. This project is also fully in line with the council's policy of creating family hubs. By designing council owned assets to help bring different services together like this, we can make accessing support easier for residents which in turn allows us and other organisations using the site to support more people."
Concertus, the council's design and property specialists have completed the design and specifications and will be managing the delivery of the project. Suffolk based construction firm, Boot Construction Ltd, have been appointed to carry out the works, which started on 8 February and are due to last for 12 weeks.