Lake District National Park Head Offices
2021 • 1000 sqm • Project value £125,000
Project Overview
LDNPA’s head office is based at Murley Moss in Kendal, within a building shared with the NHS. During the 2020 pandemic, with LDNPA staff furloughed or working from home and the NHS seeking additional office space, the organisation made the strategic decision to release part of its unused office footprint to the NHS, generating additional income. By 2021, as teams began returning to the office and hybrid working became the norm, LDNPA wanted to reassess how they used the building long-term. They approached Jane to explore whether their teams could operate comfortably within a condensed footprint, improve the quality of the working environment and permanently let the remaining office space to the NHS. At the time, approximately 100 people worked from the building and the brief made it clear that hot-desking would not form part of the solution.
The brief was to condense LDNPA into a smaller, more efficient office footprint, enabling part of the building to be released for NHS rental while reinvesting some of that income into upgrading the remaining workspace.
The building consisted of multiple rooms of varying sizes, requiring careful remodelling and detailed space planning. With 99 people across five teams, including the Executive Board, a key requirement was that each team remained located together, supported by meeting rooms, print areas, archives, storage and informal collaborative spaces.
LDNPA carried out in-depth staff consultation to understand post-pandemic working preferences, from office-based to hybrid and fully remote. Jane translated this insight into practical layouts that maximised usable space without compromising staff comfort.
To create a warmer, more inspiring environment aligned with the Lake District setting, Jane introduced natural materials and finishes, enhancing meeting rooms with large-scale imagery and furnishings in wool and timber tones. In line with LDNPA policy, she tendered all furniture three ways to ensure value for money, durability and the desired aesthetic.
As a public body, LDNPA were required to complete several rounds of staff consultation before changes could be implemented. Jane supported the process throughout, providing clear plans and layout options, then reviewing and amending proposals in response to feedback until all parties were aligned.
Implementation also needed to be carefully managed as this was a live working building. Jane coordinated with suppliers to phase delivery and installation, ensuring minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.
To keep the project cost-effective, changes to the building layout were kept to a minimum and existing furniture was reused where possible, while still achieving a refreshed, cohesive look and feel.
Jane’s space planning enabled LDNPA to consolidate their teams into a condensed, efficient footprint, allowing part of the building to be leased to the NHS and creating a valuable ongoing rental income stream.
At the same time, the remaining offices were upgraded to provide a more comfortable and cohesive working environment, with improved layouts, refreshed furniture and a stronger interior identity aligned with LDNPA’s setting and brand.
The result is a future-ready workspace that supports how teams work today, while delivering long-term financial value through improved use of the space.
From Our Client
"Jane worked with us on the redesign and refurbishment of our offices as we shifted to hybrid working post-Covid. We knew we needed to modernise our office space and shift to more shared space and more hot desking but wanted to make sure our team still felt at home in their office space and that we had a comfortable, professional and functional space for a range of different teams.
Jane was fantastic through the whole process, listening carefully to our needs, helping us come up with the right concept, and then sourcing the right fixtures, fittings, furniture and trades to turn it all in to reality. The project came in on time and under budget and a couple of years on, the whole team are really pleased with the end result and we have an office and a working space that we're proud of and works really well for us.
The whole design and refurbishment process was made a lot easier by Jane's input, support and knowledge right from day one, and we wouldn't hesitate to work with her again or recommend her to others."
GAVIN CAPSTICK,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY
