Following the recent opening of a new ambulance hub in the West Midlands, Assura has started work on a second facility in Bury St Edmunds.
The £11m, 2,900sq m unit, which will take 14 months to build, will provide East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust with a crucial central reporting hub. It will also house training facilities and space for over 30 ambulances, with onsite vehicle maintenance and preparation services. Following the launch of the Assura Net Zero Carbon Design Guide, the building has been designed to be fully net zero in operation, combining an array of smart technologies to meet the site’s expected energy demand. The hub will have over 1,000sq m of photovoltaic (PV) panels, with all expected energy demand being met through the renewable energy generated on site. These measures will radically reduce the carbon emissions and footprint of the facility, with the scheme designed to achieve BREEAM sustainability rating of ‘Excellent’ and an EPC rating of A+.
The hub is the second to be delivered by Assura for the NHS, following the opening of a centre in the West Midlands. Jonathan Murphy, chief executive of Assura, said: “This fantastic project in Bury St Edmunds will help East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust to deliver an efficient and essential service to the local population and forms part of our continued purpose to develop quality facilities that improve health services in a community setting, while reducing pressure on hospitals and the NHS.” Tom Abell, chief executive of East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, added: “Staff will move from outdated stations to benefit from modern, fit-for-purpose facilities – including a gym and wellbeing centre. “The development of the central reporting hub will also allow rapid and efficient preparation and deployment of our frontline teams to provide consistent, high-quality care to our patients. “Sustainability is vital to our organisation and I am very pleased that the hub will be the first of its kind in England to be net zero.”
