Strangford Bay Lodge Guest House
View From Strangford Bay Lodge Guest House
Introduction
Set in the hamlet of Bishop’s Mill, Ardkeen on the shores of Strangford Lough ‘Strangford Bay Lodge’ is set to offer a ‘breath of fresh air’ in choice for the disabled visitor.
When we open our doors it will be able to offer a new and exciting choice for those who have been left out in the cold by traditional guest facilities.
Set in an area which has officially been described as an ‘Area of outstanding natural beauty’ it is the perfect setting and location to offer an accessible guest house and activity garden.
This can be used as an escape for disabled people, their friends, family and carers to come and enjoy a relaxing break in a superb location. As all the amenities will be on site our guests can feel completely at home.
Planning permission has just been granted and we are now in the design stage of this exciting project.
Our aim is simple; we feel little or nothing has been available to the disabled traveller, their family or friends.
We will offer affordable choice with tastefully equipped spacious rooms designed to meet their special needs.
In addition to this there will be an activity garden to relax in and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Able-bodied friends, families and carers are most welcome too; they will have access to the first floor rooms that command a perfect view over Strangford Bay.
What does the term disability mean?
The word disability is actually defined as: "A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities."
There are at least 8.5 million disabled people in the UK with an annual spend of over £40 billion.
Of this large number of people we know about many do not travel as the facilities are simply not there.
At present only 2% of accommodation in the UK has been assessed as accessible.
We just want to make a small number a little larger; this area is crying out for an idea like ours so let’s get the suitable funds in place and make this happen.
Description of the Building
Subject to planning approval we aim to provide three spacious well designed family rooms with full disabled facilities and three able bodied rooms to be located on the first floor.
We want to offer a choice so couples can bring their young children if they wish to do so.
From our research we have found out that families prefer to be as one unit when staying on holiday. Sometimes this is very difficult as getting accommodation that will sleep a family of four is a task in itself, it will be great to be able to offer family rooms to our prospective guests.
Our Target for presentation and level of practicality of the disabled family rooms
While researching ideas for the design stage of Strangford Bay Lodge we felt is was paramount to listen to the views from the disabled community. After all there is no one better to advise us than a person who lives their life from the restriction of a wheelchair.
Mr Brittain has kindly given up a lot of his own time to help and guide us towards finding the right formula.
He is a young married man with children and a great inspiration to others on how following a tragic accident which left him paralysed can get on and lead a very busy and energetic life.
We all felt that he was the perfect example of the type of person we wish to cater for.
Normalisation of surroundings became a key issue that Mr Brittain raised. This is a phrase that will form the foundation of our design concept. He explained that he would not wish to visit a place that reminded him of a clinic.
Disabled Rooms (Ground Floor)
The large spacious family rooms will be open plan; they will have a wheelchair accessible low level area for clothing and luggage, with plenty of storage space and shelving.
All the floors will be solid natural wood or tiled, these add practicality and durability so wheelchairs can easily move from place to place.
A family seated area along with a quality sofa bed to include extra overnight options for family and children.
There will be double beds with a careful consideration to the height of it. The mattresses will be firm and of a very good standard, this will make sure our guests will get a restful night’s sleep.
The bed will be situated in an area of the room with an option to easily screen it off. The screen will be able to be pulled across to separate the double bed from the rest of the living area, this will give privacy should one of the guests want to take a nap, read or watch television.
The rooms will feature and include a complimentary television, DVD Player, radio, broadband internet connection for business or pleasure, a Sony Playstation, in room safe, hairdryer, steam iron plus tea and coffee making facilities.
The ensuite will be finished to a very high standard incorporating all aspects of disabled requirements.
One example of practicality will be full length mirrors which are a great assistance to aid manoeuvrability in a wheelchair. This also adds the aspect of normalisation.
We also intend to offer ‘quick fit’ hand rails, these can be added and removed subject to our guests level of disability or request.
We are very aware that different people have different levels of mobility. Some are more independent than others, it is our aim to cater for all their needs yet retain a normal ‘clinic free’ environment as possible.
As all the disabled rooms will be located on the ground floor, patio doors to the front of the rooms will open onto a Mediterranean style terrace. These will provide fantastic views over the activity garden and Strangford Lough.
Situated on each terrace there will be a set of table and chairs, this will be a great place to relax or socialise with the other guests.
The rooms will be built in a row facing Strangford Lough, all of which will have this excellent feature. A sloped wall will divide each terrace from the next one so privacy can be maintained the closer you sit to the room. The further you sit out onto the terrace the wall will be lower therefore being able to see and talk to other guests. This will be illustrated over the page on the artist’s impression.
Another reason for this unique idea is that the patio doors will serve as a fire exit. This is a great safety feature as a quick escape from the building can be made should any unexpected problems occur.
Able Bodied Rooms (First floor)
The first floor will provide three able bodied rooms for family, friends or carers of the disabled guests after all our aim is to provide a break from the daily routine for these people too.
Although the rooms are located on the first floor (above the disabled rooms) should any problems arise they will not have far to go to reach the disabled guest.
The able bodied rooms will be of a similar size to the disabled ones and offer the same amenities such as complimentary TV, DVD Player, radio, broadband internet connection, Sony Playstation, in room safe, hairdryer and tea/coffee making facilities.
Sky lights will be used to create plenty of natural light therefore giving the rooms an ultra modern feel and a more relaxing atmosphere.
Where the ground floor disabled rooms will have terraces leading to the activity garden, these rooms will have balconies looking out onto Strangford Lough and Ballywallon Island, a perfect setting to relax and enjoy a bottle of wine at sunset.
Conservatory
There will be a conservatory which will function as the breakfast area; it will be a fantastic place to start the day and watch the sunrise over Strangford Lough.
The conservatory will also offer a relaxing place for guests to unwind when the weather is not suitable to be outside. It will also provide panoramic views over the Lough and the surrounding countryside so should our guests still wish to paint, bird watch or read etc. they can do so.
An aquarium will be a focal point of the room, this adds colour to the room and gives guests something to watch, it is a proven fact that an aquarium make people feel more relaxed. This can also entertain the children when parents need some rest!
Conservatories are always a great place to relax; even in winter when the sun is shining the warmth can be felt immediately upon entering the room.
Reception/ Grounds
The reception area will be light and spacious to give it a modern feel, all furniture will be low level to normalise the wheelchair friendly approach.
The signage throughout the whole building will be enlarged to make sure our guests with sight difficulties are made welcome and can easily find their way to their rooms.
The pathways and doorways will be of a width so the widest of wheelchairs can fit on and through them. We will also try where possible to make the floors as flat as possible, including the patio doorways to the terraces. The patio doors will be of the sliding type. From research we have found out that certain manufacturers do make a flat base frame patio door.
Car Park
The car park will be located to the side of the of the reception area, all the spaces will be large enough to accommodate the largest of vehicles.
Each space will be wide enough to open a car door fully with a little extra room so our guests can manoeuvre themselves from their vehicle into a wheelchair.
Smooth flat tarmac will be used on the surface of the car park, this makes it easy for people in wheelchairs, people with walking difficulties and the blind or partially sighted to get to and from their vehicles and make their way around the complex.
The car park will be well lit at night should any of our guests need to retrieve anything from their vehicles.
Accessible To All
We feel that it is very important to maximise the effect of Strangford Bay Lodge to the disabled community.
We intend to offer pre-arranged booking use of the garden. Our thought is that it can be used for groups of visitors on a day outing.
We can provide craft/art day experiences for upto 10 – 12 disabled visitors and their family/friends and offer light refreshments, soup and sandwiches all included in the price of the booking.
On the other hand people may choose to simply come and relax, unwind and have a day in the garden. They could possibly bring along a picnic and make a day of it knowing that facilities are there should anything arise, all this for a small charge. There is no problem with this either.
This will give an opportunity to people who maybe can not stay the night for whatever reason to come and sample what we have to offer. Who knows, once they have seen the facility they may wish to arrange a stay sometime in the future.
This will give us a good chance of making a good impression and almost certainly gain us some more prospective guests by word of mouth.
Activity Garden
Subject to planning approval the activity garden will be the centre piece of the whole site.
Breath taking views and the sound of the water gently breaking on the shore - what a superb location this is and it’s great that we are able to offer this to the disabled community.
The garden will be tastefully designed to complement the surrounding area, park benches will be available to sit on allowing people to have a relaxing picnic or to simply sit and enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the surroundings.
A raised decking area with wheelchair ramps to gain access will be available for use to sketch/paint, bird-watch or photo the landscape.
Pathways will lead from the rooms to the shoreline; they will be tastefully decorated with plants, flowers and shrubs to give it a most natural feel.
A small island called Ballywallon Island is located in Strangford Lough directly opposite where Strangford Bay Lodge is going to be built, last spring 2200 trees were planted here by the owner, the trees are now starting to grow and many species of bird have already set up nest.
When these magnificent trees develop and mature they will bring so much wildlife to the island, this is great for the environment and great for our guests too, especially the ones from inner city areas, they will now be able to experience birds and animals in the wild right on the guests house’s doorstep.
A small safe and secure children’s play area will be erected away from the shoreline, this is for guests with young children. They can relax knowing their children are safely in sight at all times.
One idea that seemed to be quite popular during our research was to have a small pitch and put or crazy golf course. This could be made pretty easily at a small cost.
On the following page please find a plan we have designed on the computer to show you what we hope to achieve.
As you can see from the drawing all the features have been labelled, this is what we plan to achieve.
Also on the following pages you will see various pictures from around the current site, an artists impression of the proposed building (this is in no way a scaled drawing or accurate plan, it is purely for illustration purposes only) and an ordnance survey map which shows the site lay out.
As were sure you can appreciate this is truly a magical place full of natural raw beauty.
The pictures show the site as it is at the moment; we can make it a lot better with a small bit of cultivation and TLC!