Kelly House

Project Management: Richard Monk Associates
Structural Engineer: Rossi Long Consulting Limited
Energy Assessors: ASHEA Limited
Acoustic Consultant: Sharps Redmore

Kelly House was established in 1856 as the ‘Suffolk Reformatory’ for boys, following the Children and Young Persons Act of 1933 the name ‘Reformatory’ was dropped in favour of ‘Approved School’ and the site was operated as such until 1971. The site was then operated as a community home until 1992 when Suffolk County Council established a resource centre on the site comprising conference facilities, workshops, and offices. The site closed in the mid-2000’s and remained vacant for many years.

This varied history left a series of buildings in a poor state of repair, with complex internal arrangements, extensions and outbuildings which were unsympathetic to the original buildings.

We were appointed to sub-divide the original Victorian Reformatory into a series of attractive houses and flats. The end result is a building which retains the Victorian structure and provides energy-efficient housing with modern interiors.

Witnesham Ventures Ltd appointed us initially to provide an assessment of the site and acting on our advice acquired it in 2014.

Planning permission was granted in April 2016 and work started on site in early 2017. Our appointment remained with Witnesham Ventures Ltd to obtain Building Regulation approval and to provide the contractor with construction information as required.

This informal arrangement is favoured by a number of developers and, provided the contractor accepts overall design responsibility, the arrangement can work very well.